University  of  California  •  Berkeley 

Purchased  from 

ALEXANDER  GOLDSTEIN 

MEMORIAL  FUND 


RECOLLECTIONS 


AND 


INCIDENTS  of  a  LIFETIME; 


OR, 


Men  and  Things  I  Have  Seen. 

In  a  Series  of  Familiar  Letters 
to  a  Friend. 

Historical,    Autobiographical,    Anecdotal 
and  Descriptive. 


By     PHILANDER    STEVENS. 


BROOKLYN,  N.   Y. 
1896. 


To  the  memory  of  my  sainted  wife, 

the  loved  companion 
for  more  than  fifty  years  in   my  life's  journey , 

is  this  simple  narrative 

most  affectionately  dedicated  by  her 

sorrowing  husband* 


I  INTRODUCTORY. 


LETTER  I. 
MY  DEAR   H.— 

In  your  last  letter,  received  a  few  days  since, 
you  referred  to  some  incidents  of  my  life  which  I 
had  related,  and  expressed  a  desire  to  know  still 
further  of  the  incidents  and  events  of  my  long  and 
busy  life,  already  prolonged  beyond  the  allotted 
three  score  and  ten  years. 

I  have,  therefore,  actually  determined  upon 
carrying  out  your  suggestion  to  write  a  memoir  of 
my  life  and  times — a  sort  of  personal  narrative. 

The  only  thing  that  makes  me  hesitate  is  a  fear 
that  an  autobiography  must  essentially  be  a 
personal  history,  and  would  be  very  likely  to  be 
flavored  with  egotism,  a  sentiment  I  detest.  I 
shall,  however,  try  to  divest  this  simple  history 
of  the  air  of  egotism  as  far  as  I  can  do  so,  and, 
perhaps,  the  best  form  in  which  I  can  give  the 
details  will  be  in  the  form  of  letters  to  you  ;  thus 
telling  a  simple  story,  in  a  simple  way,  to  an  old 
and  very  dear  friend 


VI  INTRODUCTORY. 

I  will,  therefore,  invite  you  to  go  with  me,  in 
imagination,  over  the  principal  scenes  I  have 
witnessed,  carrying  you  back  to  my  boyhood  days 
— to  my  early  country  life,  in  which  I  was  born 
and  bred. 

The  history  will  be,  essentially,  a  personal  narra- 
tive— simple,  commonplace,  nothing  marvelous,  or 
out  of  the  beaten  track  of  common  experience. 

In  regard  to  many  of  the  events  I  shall  have 
occasion  to  describe,  the  character  and  character- 
istics of  men  and  things  I  shall  portray,  my 
connection  was  only  that  of  a  spectator. 

How  far  the  recollection  of  those  early  days 
will  serve  me  as  I  try  to  arrange  them  upon  the 
thread  of  my  memory,  remains  to  be  seen  ;  and  I 
must  crave  your  kind  indulgence  to  overlook  all 
mistakes. 

PHILANDER  STEVENS. 


CONTENTS. 


LETTER  I.  PAGE. 

Introductory. 

LETTER  II. 

Early     History,    and    Some     Account    of 

Ancestors     -  1-14 

LETTER  III. 
Further  Early  History  and  Incidents     -         15-41 

LETTER  IV. 

Leaving  Home.  —  Commencing  Mercantile 
Life  —  Marriage.  —  Birth  of  Daughter 
Marion.  —  Incidents  -  -  42-59 

LETTER  V. 

Removal  to  Cairo.  —  Birth  of  Our  Daughters 
Florence  and  Ella.  —  Death  of  Sister 
Elizabeth.  —  Death  of  My  Father.— 
Uncle  Smith  Stevens.  —  Miller  Excite- 
ment.  —  Mexican  War  Incidents.  —  Old 
Political  Parties  60-74 

LETTER  VI. 
Selling   Out   in  Cairo.  — 


Removing  to  New  York.  —  Business  and 
Incidents.  —  Change  of  Business  -      75-99 


CONTENTS. 

LETTER  VII.  PAGE. 

Panic  of  1857.— Trip  to  the  West.— Busi- 
ness Methods. — Incidents  -  100-124 

LETTER  VIII. 

Panic  of  1857. — A  New  Resolution. — 
Providential  Escape. — Political  Excite- 
ment.— Election  of  Lincoln  -  125-137 

r  ~ 

LETTER  IX. 

War  Clouds  Looming  Up. — Standing  the 
Draft. — -Business  Trip  to  Virginia. — 
Flag  of  Truce  Boat.— Incidents  -  138-158 

LETTER  X. 

A  Business  Expedition. — Trip  to  North 
Carolina.  —  Terrible  Storm.  —  Narrow 
Escape. — Incidents  1 5  9-1 7  7 

LETTER  XL 

A  Visit  to  the  Battlefield  of  Newbern.— 
Description  of  Slave  Market. — Incidents. 
— A  Visit  to  Richmond. — Libby  Prison. 
— Washington. — Lincoln's  Reception. — 
Incidents  -  178-198 

LETTER  XII. 

Failure  of  the  House  of  Lathrop,  Luding- 
ton  &  Co. — New  Business  Connections. 
— A  Trip  to  Europe. — Cyclone  at  Sea. — 
Incidents 199-215 


CONTENTS.  IX 

LETTER  XIII.  PAGE. 

London. —  Windsor  Castle. —  Paris. —  The 
Continent. — Switzerland  and  the  Alps. — 
Germany. — Black  Forest. — Heidelberg. 
— Worms. — Baden  Baden. — Incidents  216-235 

LETTER  XIV. 

Holland  and  Quaint  Old  Rotterdam. — Scot- 
land and  its  Scenery. — Bannockburn. — 
Stirling  Castle. — The  Trossacks.— Re- 
turning Home. — Death  of  Our  Daughter 
Marion  236-253 

LETTER  XV. 

A  Journey  to  California  and  Incidents.— 
Yosemite  Valley. — Big  Tree  Grove. — 
San  Francisco. — United  States  Mint. — 
Salt  Lake  City  and  "  The  Saints  "  254-276 

LETTER  XVI. 

Marshall  Pass. — Canyons  of  the  Rockies.— 
Colorado  Springs. — Pike's  Peak. — Gar- 
den of  the  Gods — Denver. — Family 
Gatherings  in  Illinois  and  Wisconsin. — 
Return  Home. — Death  of  Daughter 
Ella.— Incidents  277-286 

LETTER  XVII. 

Death  of  My  Wife. — Incidents  of  Her  Last 

Sickness  and  Death       -         -         -         287-295 


Recollections  and  Incidents 
of  a  Lifetime. 


LETTER  II. 

MY   DEAR    II.— 

You  will,  of  course,  expect  that  in  the  be- 
ginning of  my  story,  I  make  you  acquainted 
with  the  place  where  I  was  born,  as  well  as 
the  objects  surrounding  it. 

In  the  mountainous  part  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  in  the  western  range  of  the  Cats- 
kills,  in  the  southern  corner  of  Schoharie 
County,  is  a  small  village  by  the  name  of 
Gilboa. 

Near  this  village,  in  a  one-and-a-half 
story,  plain  farm  house,  I  was  bom  on  the 
1 6th  day  of  November,  1819.  The  town  was 
at  that  time  named  Broome,  but  has  since 
been  named  after  the  principal  village, 
Gilboa. 

This  village  lies  in  a  hollow  or  basin  sur- 
rounded on  all  sides  by  mountains.  These 
mountains  in  my  boyhood  days  seemed  the 
very  Alps  in  dimensions  ;  but  in  later  years, 


2  RECOLLECTIONS   OF    A   LIFETIME. 

like  most  things  of  our  boyish  imaginations, 
diminish  to  but  small  affairs. 

The  Schoharie  Kill  Creek,  a  rapid  and 
turbulent  stream,  which  rises  in  the  Cats- 
kills,  a  few  miles  only  from  the  Hudson 
River,  taking  a  westerly  course  through  the 
gorges  of  the  mountains,  finds  its  way  into 
the  Mohawk  and  thence  back  again  after  a 
journey  of  some  two  or  three  hundred  miles 
to  the  Hudson,  and  within  a  few  miles  of 
its  source.  This  creek  was  the  southern 
boundary  of  my  father's  farm,  where  I  was 
born  and  spent  my  boyhood  days.  From 
our  house  this  creek  (perhaps  it  should  be 
called  a  river)  was  in  full  view  for  a  mile  or 
more,  the  view  including  the  "  Stevens 
Falls"  a  veritable  Niagara  in  a  freshet. 
These  falls  were  the  waters  of  the  Manor  Kill, 
another  mountain  stream,  which  emptied 
into  the  Schoharie  Kill,  immediately  below 
the  falls. 

As  I  said,  the  Schoharie  Kill  was  a  rapid, 
turbulent  stream.  The  spring  freshets 
caused  by  the  melting  of  the  accumulated 
winter  snows  in  the  mountains,  were  some- 
thing grand  and  terrible ;  the  ice  two  and 
three  feet  thick  would  be  broken  up  by  the 


MY   BOYHOOD   DAYS.  3 

rushing  waters,  often  forming  dams  and 
overflowing  whole  valleys  before  giving  way 
and  then  carrying  everything  before  it- 
bridges,  mills,  houses,  barns,  cattle,  hogs, 
and  sometimes  human  beings  were  swept 
away. 

I  remember  one  winter,  my  father  wanted 
to  secure  some  pine  logs — the  trees  growing 
on  the  bank  of  the  creek,  just  below  the 
"Stevens  Falls,"  and  there  was  no  way 
except  to  get  them  on  the  ice,  and  then 
down  the  creek  on  the  ice,  a  half  mile  to  a 
sloping  bank. 

We  succeeded  in  getting  all  the  logs  on 
the  ice.  They  were  large  logs,  some  two  or 
three  feet  in  diameter  and  twelve  and  four- 
teen feet  long.  The  ice  was  thick  and  solid 
and  we  commenced  to  haul  the  logs  with  a 
double  team,  a  yoke  of  oxen,  and  span  of 
horses  ahead.  Night  came  on  after  we  had 
secured  a  few  of  the  logs,  and  we  intended 
to  secure  the  rest  next  day,  but  during  the 
night  a  tremendous  rain  came  on,  and  in  the 
morning  it  continued  to  rain  and  the  water 
was  running  a  foot  deep  over  the  ice,  but 
those  pine  logs  were  too  valuable  to  lose, 
and  my  father  was  one  of  those  determined 


4  RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

men  who  would  never  yield,  even  to  the 
elements,  when  he  resolved  on  doing  a  thing, 
so  we  harnessed  the  horses  and  yoked  the 
oxen,  and  waded  the  water  running  over  the 
ice  and  commenced  hauling  the  rest  of  the 
logs. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  fear  and  dread  of 
that  forenoon  in  the  rain  and  deepening 
water,  running  swiftly  over  the  ice,  and  the 
dark,  yellow,  muddy  water  just  above  us, 
pouring  over  the  "Stevens  Falls,"  the 
Manor  Kill  having  already  broken  up. 

I  well  remember  my  fathers  anxious  look 
as  we  drove  back  for  the  last  log,  and  how 
glad  we  all  were  when  it  was  landed  safely 
on  the  bluff  with  the  rest,  and  we,  my  father, 
myself  and  the  hired  man,  with  the  teams, 
all  safe. 

While  we  were  at  dinner,  an  hour  later,  we 
heard  the  roar  of  the  waters,  and  on  looking 
out  the  sight  was  one  never  to  be  forgotten. 
The  breaking  up  of  the  thick  ice,  the  rolling 
and  tumbling  of  great  blocks  as  large  as  a 
house  floor,  forming  dams  which  would 
resist  the  gathering  waters  for  a  few  minutes 
and  then  giving  way  carrying  all  before  it, 
like  some  resisting  army,  yielding  inch  by 


MY   BOYHOOD   DAYS.  0 

inch  to  a  superior  force,  until  swept  away, 
pursued  and  pursuer,  pell  mell  in  a  race,  the 
one  for  victory  and  destruction,  the  other 
for  life,  all  sweeping  on  in  a  confused 
mass,  victors  and  vanquished  struggling 
together. 

I  believe  these  sudden  freshets  seldom 
occur  since  the  country  is  cleared  up  and 
the  land  tilled  ;  the  snows  melt  more  gradu- 
ally and  the  ground  holds  the  water. 

While  speaking  of  this  creek,  there  were 
many  incidents  during  my  boyhood  days 
connected  with  it.  It  was  a  great  stream 
for  eels.  I  used  to  set  my  poles  over  night 
with  line  and  hook,  the  hook  baited  with  a 
small  fish  ;  often  in  the  morning  I  would 
haul  in  two  or  three  eels.  This  was  about 
the  extent  of  my  fishing,  the  reason  being  I 
had  not  the  time — always  had  more  import- 
ant work  to  do. 

I  remember  one  morning,  I  missed  one  of 
my  poles,  and,  in  my  own  mind,  charged  a 
neighboring  boy  with  stealing  it.  I  had  no 
evidence,  but  firmly  believed  him  guilty. 
In  the  summer  we  boys  often  went  swim- 
ming in  the  "deep  hole,"  a  little  below  my 
eeling  place.  In  wading  about  I  felt  a  pole 


6  RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

lodged  and  held  between  rocks,  and  on  pull- 
ing it  out  found  it  was  my  pole,  and  on  the 
hook  was  the  largest  eel  I  ever  saw,  a  mon- 
ster two  or  three  feet  long,  dead,  of  course, 
and  decayed.  He  had  dragged  away  the 
pole  and  lodged  it  with  himself  among  the 
rocks  and  there  died.  It  was  one  of  the 
lessons  I  have  learned — to  lay  up  nothing 
against  anybody  on  suspicion. 

This  deep  hole  was  the  sheep  washing 
place  ;  a  yard  was  built  on  its  bank,  where 
the  sheep  were  driven  in,  and  one  by  one 
taken  out  in  the  water  waist  deep,  where 
the  sheep  would  float  without  being  able  to 
touch  bottom  and  its  fleece  washed  white  as 
snow.  When  all  were  washed,  they  were 
driven  to  a  pasture  nearby,  where  there  was 
no  dirt,  or  chance  to  get  the  wool  soiled,  and 
kept  a  few  days  until  perfectly  dry  and 
then  taken  to  the  barn  for  shearing. 

This  sheep  shearing  was  quite  an  event. 
We  boys  became  quite  expert ;  could  often 
take  off  the  fleece  whole  or  nearly  so,  like 
taking  off  a  shirt  by  turning  it  wrong  side 
out. 

The  sheep  was  robbed  of  its  fleece  by  lay- 
ing it  flat  on  the  barn  floor,  and  commenc- 


MY   BOYHOOD   DAYS.  7 

ing  at  the  head  and  shearing  towards  the 
tail  turning  the  fleece  wrong  side  out  as  you 
proceed  and  finishing  at  the  tail.  The  poor 
sheep  making  no  resistance,  perhaps  not 
realizing  it  was  being  robbed. 

I  heard  a  good  story  told  by  Marshall  P. 
Wilder.  He  said  he  was  going  through  the 
country  the  next  summer  after  the  last 
Presidential  election  and  seeing  a  man 
shearing  a  sheep  and  shearing  from  the  tail 
towards  the  head,  he  stopped  and  told  the 
man  he  was  shearing  the  wrong  way ;  the 
right  way  was  to  commence  at  the  head  and 
shear  towards  the  tail.  uYes,"  the  man 
said,  "  I  know  it  but  I  voted  the  Democratic 
ticket  last  fall,  and  ever  since  I  have  been 
ashamed  to  look  a  sheep  in  the  face." 
Well,  I  don't  wonder  ;  a  sheep  ought  to 
know  better  than  that. 

There  are  a  great  many  risks  in  raising 
sheep  ;  they  are  of  all  animals  the  weakest 
for  self  defence — a  very  little  dog  will  race 
a  flock  of  sheep  and  kill  many,  often  in 
sport,  as  it  is  natural  for  a  dog  to  chase  any- 
thing that  runs  from  it.  Wild  animals, 
too,  often  kill  sheep ;  and  in  some  com- 
munities there  are  lovers  of  mutton  who 


8  RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

will  steal  sheep — they  are  such  easy  and 
noiseless  victims. 

To  go  back  a  little  in  my  narrative :  I  was 
the  ninth  child  of  a  family  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  lived  to  grow  up  and  all 
but  one  lived  to  be  married  and  settled  in 
life  and  all  but  four  are  still  living. 

Of  the  eleven  children  eight  were  sons 
and  three  daughters.  My  sisters  were  all 
older  than  myself — Cynthia,  the  eldest,  mar- 
ried, before  I  can  remember,  James  Rose. 
She  was  the  mother  of  a  large  family.  The 
next  sister,  Phebe  Ann,  married  John 
Schermerhorn.  She  died  of  consumption 
leaving  a  large  family  of  young  children. 
The  third  sister  was  Elizabeth,  who  never 
married.  She  was  the  nearest  to  an  angel 
of  any  human  being  I  ever  knew.  She 
lived  a  life  of  self-sacrifice  for  the  rest  of 
the  family. 

Of  the  brothers,  Ozias,  the  eldest,  left 
home  when  fifteen  years  of  age  and  became 
a  clerk  in  the  store  of  Uncle  Alfred  Hand 
in  Durham ;  this  before  my  remembrance. 
When  he  became  of  age  he  opened  a  store 
in  Gilboa,  where  he  conducted  a  successful 
business  for  forty  years  or  more. 


MY    BOYHOOD   DAYS.  9 

My  next  brother,  Alanson,  learned  the 
trade  of  a  tanner,  and  while  yet  a  young 
man  carried  on  the  tannery  of  my  father 
and  Uncle  Smith  Stevens  until  he  moved  to 
Wisconsin  where  he  is  still  living,  a 
prosperous  farmer. 

My  next  brother,  Hiram  was,  as  a  child  in 
feeble  health,  not  considered  strong  enough 
for  the  hard  life  of  a  farmer,  and  so  he 
studied  medicine  and  became  a  skillful 
physician  and  lived  to  a  good  old  age, 
dying  two  years  ago.  After  these  my 
brothers  Jason,  Ezra  and  Calvin  became 
clerks  successively  for  brother  Ozias,  and 
finally  became  merchants  themselves  as  did 
my  youngest  brother  Edward,  so  that  I 
being  the  only  one  left,  became  the  boy 
farmer  and  lived  at  home  until  fully 
grown  up. 

To  go  back  again  in  my  narrative,  I  will 
speak  of  parents  and  grandparents.  My 
grandfather,  Gershom  Stevens,  sen.,  was 
born  in  Stratford,  Fairlield  County,  Connect- 
icut, in  1741,  and  his  wife,  my  grandmother 
Phebe  Henry,  at  the  same  place,  in  1744.  I 
have  not  been  able  to  trace  the  genealogy 
of  my  grandparents  back  more  than  two 


10    RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

hundred  years.  It  is  well  known,  however, 
that  their  ancestors  came  from  England,  if 
not  with  the  Pilgrims  very  soon  there- 
after ;  they  were  thoroughly  New  England 
people. 

My  grandfather  was  one  of  the  heroes  of 
the  Revolution.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by 
trade  and  carrying  on  a  successful  business 
when  the  war  broke  out.  He  left  his  shop 
and  joined  the  little  band  of  patriots  when 
the  trouble  first  began. 

There  was  a  scarcity  of  blacksmiths  to  do 
the  army  work,  repair  locks,  shoe  horses 
and  other  army  work  and  he  was  assigned 
to  this  work  as  an  artisan  with  commission 
and  pay  of  a  major.  Among  the  duties 
which  he  performed  was  overseeing  and 
helping  to  make  the  big  chain  across  the 
Hudson  River  at  West  Point.  Was  often 
on  expeditions  with  the  army,  was  in  many 
of  the  battles  and  vicissitudes  of  the  war, 
and  was  one  of  the  sufferers  of  that  terrible 
winter  at  Valley  Forge.  He  lived  at  Dan- 
bury,  Conn. — at  least  his  home  was  there 
and  his  family  resided  there  during  the  war. 
When  the  British  and  Tories  burned  that 
place,  his  house  and  shop  were  burned  with 


MY   BOYHOOD   DAYS.  11 

all  their  contents.  I  have  often  listened  to 
my  grandmother' s  narratives  of  these  events, 
until  I  felt  I  could  go  out  and  thrash  some 
Briton  or  Tory,  no  matter  how  big  he 
was. 

I  have  but  a  faint  recollection  of  my 
grandfather  who  died  in  1825,  but  my 
.u-nindmother  (and  she  was  a  grand  old 
lady)  lived  in  my  father's  family  after 
my  grandfather  died,  until  her  death  in 
1831. 

They  were  both  buried  in  the  old  burying 
ground  in  Gilboa,  with  some  of  their  old- 
est children  beside  them. 

For  some  reason  or  through  carelessness 
or  without  any  reason,  these  graves  were 
neglected  for  half  a  century,  until  the  old 
brown  stones  had  crumbled  and  the  letters 
nearly  obliterated. 

Some  eight  or  ten  years  ago  my  cousin  D. 
T.  Stevens  and  myself  resolved  to  erect  a 
monument  on  the  spot,  and  now  at  the 
head  of  the  plot,  near  the  entrance  to 
the  old  cemetery,  is  a  granite  monument, 
the  base  of  which  has  in  large  deep-cut 
letters  " Stevens"  and  on  the  monument 
inscribed  : 


12        EECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

Sacred  to  the  Memory 

of 

GEESHOM  STEVENS,  Sen.,    • 
A  Hero  of  the  Revolution, 

1741 — 1825. 
And  his  wife,  PHEBE  HENRY, 

1744—1831. 

Here  also  rest  the  remains  of  their  children  : 
OZIAS  STEVENS,  Sen. 
LEVI  STEVENS,  Sen. 

CHARITY,  wife  of  REV.  CHARLES  TUCKER. 
ANNA,  wife  of  WOODHULL  HELM. 
Lois,  wife  of  JOHN  DECKER. 
THALIA,  wife  of  JOHN  PARKER. 

Erected  by  D.  T.   &  P.   STEVENS. 

There  are  several  other  Revolutionary 
soldiers  buried  in  this  old  cemetery  ;  and  all 
these  graves,  with  my  grandfather's,  are 
cared  for  by  the  Grand  Army  Veterans  of 
the  late  war  and  are  decorated  with  flowers 
on  every  Decoration  Day. 

My  father  and  mother  are  buried  in  the 
same  cemetery,  in  a  lot  of  their  own,  with 
several  members  of  the  family. 

My  grandfather  was  quite  a  character 
according  to  tradition.  I  have  heard  many 
anecdotes  about  him.  A  neighbor  was  cut- 


MY    BOYHOOD    DAYS.  13 

ting  logs  and  grandfather  accused  him  of 
being  over  the  line  on  his  land,  and  a 
quarrel  ensued.  Grandfather  said  for  three 
cents  he  would  kick  him  off  the  log ;  the 
neighbor  dared  him  to  do  it,  and  said  he 
would  give  him  the  three  cents  to  do  it, 
whereupon  grandfather  walked  up  the  log 
and  kicked  him  headlong  off  the  log,  and 
then  went  and  got  out  a  summons  and  sued 
him  for  the  three  cents. 

These  were  in  the  rough  times,  in  a  rough 
country,  and  men  became  rough.  These 
two  men  were  really  good,  kind-hearted 
men  and,  as  I  heard  the  story,  were  after- 
ward good  friends — would  do  anything  for 
each  other. 

Another  story  was  :  among  a  New  England 
Puritan  community  in  his  younger  days  a 
prominent  citizen  was  accidentally  drowned 
from  a  boat  in  which  were  two  other  men. 
At  the  funeral  held  in  the  church,  the 
clergyman  said  it  had  been  decreed  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world  that  this  man 
should  be  drowned  ;  hence  it  was  no  ac- 
cident but  a  divine  decree. 

After  the  services,  grandfather  objected  to 
the  doctrine  of  the  preacher  and  used  some 


14        RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

very  emphatic  language  and  said:  "If  I 
had  been  in  that  boat,  by  the  eternal  I 
would  have  broken  the  decree."  If  I  re- 
member right  the  story  was :  he  was  tried 
and  punished  by  the  church,  which  was 
then  the  civil  authority  in  such  cases. 

My  father  partook  something  of  his 
sturdy  character,  indomitable  perseverance, 
a  will  to  overcome  all  obstacles,  a  strong 
constitution,  untiring  ;  it  was  work,  work, 
work,  twelve  and  fifteen  hours  a  day; 
nothing  too  much  for  him  to  undertake. 

He  with  my  Uncle  Smith  Stevens,  during 
my  boyhood  days  and  long  before  I  can 
remember,  were  engaged  together  in  many 
enterprises,  and  they  always  took  the  brunt 
of  the  hardest  work.  They  built  and 
carried  on  a  grist  mill,  two  saw  mills,  one 
of  which  was  worked  by  eight  horses— an 
invention  of  their  own — the  other  by  water, 
a  shingle  factory  and  turning  works,  also 
run  by  water,  a  tannery,  besides  carrying 
on,  each,  a  large  farm. 

If  anybody  thinks  the  boys  of  such  fathers 
had  an  easy  time  they  are  very  greatly 
mistaken.  About  my  chance  for  an  educa- 
tion, I  will  leave  that  for  another  letter. 


MY    BOYHOOD   DAYS.  15 


LETTER  III. 
MY  DEAR  H.— 

In  my  last  letter  I  mentioned  something 
about  my  grandparents  and  my  father  and 
mother.  I  will  tell  you  a  little  more  about 
my  parents,  to  give  you  a  better  idea  of  my 
early  surroundings  and  advantages. 

As  I  said  before,  my  father  was  a  man  of 
indomitable  perseverance,  and  the  immense 
amount  of  labor  together  with  the  eco- 
nomical habits  of  himself  and  family  would, 
in  almost  any  other  section  of  our  country, 
have  made  him  independent.  As  it  was 
it  was  terrible  uphill  work, — mills  anJ. 
machinery  constantly  breaking  down,  sup- 
plies for  repairs  and  millwrights  so  hard 
to  be  got — the  distance  from  the  nearest 
market  town,  Catskill,  forty  miles  over  hard 
mountain  roads, — lumber  from  the  mills  to 
be  hauled  to  Catskill  and  sold,  or  shipped 
by  sloop  to  a  New  York  market.  It  was  a 
three  days'  trip  to  haul  a  load  to  Catskill, 
and  one  thousand  feet  of  hemlock  boards 
was  a  good  load  for  those  roads,  and  if  I 
remember  right,  the  price  obtained  in 


16         RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A    LIFETIME. 

Catskill  was  less  than  ten  dollars  a 
thousand  feet. 

It  is  easy  to  see  how  big  a  dollar  seemed 
in  those  days.  Many  and  many  a  time  was 
I  sent  with  a  load  of  lumber  to  Catskill 
before  I  was  twelve  years  old,  generally, 
however,  in  company  with  one  or  two  other 
teams  driven  by  a  hired  man  or  one  of  my 
cousins. 

We  always  took  with  us  our  lunch  box 
and  bag  of  oats  for  the  horses,  as  the  pro- 
fits would  not  afford  paying  the  tavern  bills; 
only  for  stable  room  for  the  horses  and  the 
rick  of  hay,  and  a  bed  for  us. 

There  were  special  rates  for  lumber 
men  and  teamsters  at  the  taverns.  The 
price  for  meals,  if  we  felt  sometimes  by  the 
third  day  out  like  eating  a  good  square 
meal,  was  one  shilling  (12  1-2  cents).  Even 
these  small  expenses,  with  the  gate  money, 
four  toll  gates  between  Gilboa  and  Cats- 
kill,  made  quite  a  hole  in  the  price  received 
for  the  lumber. 

I  remember  on  one  occasion  my  load  was 
to  be  shipped  to  New  York  on  a  sloop. 

I  drove  to  the  dock.  The  captain  of  the 
sloop,  standing  on  the  sloop  deck,  asked  for 


MY    BOYHOOD   DAYS.  17 

my  memorandum  of  the  number  of  feet  in 
the  load. 

I  opened  my  wallet  to  get  the  memoran- 
dum when  every  penny  of  money  I  had  (all 
in  change)  dropped  out  between  the  dock 
and  the  sloop  into  the  river. 

I  have  often  met  losses  since  of  many 
thousands  of  dollars,  but  never  one  that 
I  felt  the  loss  as  I  did  this.  I  was  forty 
miles  from  home ;  it  seemed  to  me  I  was 
ruined,  stranded  and  strapped. 

I  had  friends,  however,  who  came  to  my 
relief,  lent  me  the  money  I  needed,  and 
encouraged  me  not  to  take  the  loss  too 
much  to  heart. 

I  believe  the  amount  was  something  like 
two  dollars,  all  in  silver  and  pennies ;  but 
it  was  a  big  sum  in  those  days. 

1  sometimes,  now,  look  back  on  those  long, 
tedious  trips  of  my  boyhood  days  and  the 
incidents  connected  therewith  with  a  sort  of 
nightmare  feeling.  In  crossing  the  mount- 
ain, there  were  three  miles  of  steep  hill  to 
climb,  and  every  few  yards  the  horses  would 
stop  to  breathe,  and  I  had  to  be  ready  with 
a  stone  to  block  the  wheel ;  often  with 
the  most  desperate  straining  only  a  few 


18        RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

feet  could  be  made  without  a  stop.  The 
utmost  strength  of  a  team  could  be,  gener- 
ally, pretty  accurately  gauged. 

One  man  I  knew  said  he  could  load  his 
team  so  exact  that  if  he  threw  his  mittens 
on  the  load  they  would  be  just  enough 
to  stick  his  team. 

There  were  many  incidents  which  I  well 
remember ;  some  narrow  escapes  from  dis- 
aster. On  one  occasion,  after  the  long  climb 
up  the  mountain  and  commencing  to  go 
down  on  the  other  side,  the  bolt  holding 
the  single  whiffletree  of  the  off  horse 
dropped  out,  letting  the  whiffletree  drop 
down  under  the  horse's  heels.  The  horse 
made  a  sudden  jump  which  let  the  tongue 
of  the  wagon  drop  out  of  the  ring  of  the 
neck  yoke. 

This  was  at  the  top  of  a  long,  steep  hill 
and  the  situation  was  extremely  critical. 
Soon  the  horses  were  under  a  full  run,  with 
the  heavy  loaded  wagon  of  lumber  at  their 
heels,  one  horse  still  fastened  to  the  wagon, 
and  the  other  with  the  whiffletree  at  his 
heels.  Of  course  the  horses  and  wagon 
were  entirely  unmanageable ;  a  deep  gully 
on  one  side  of  the  road,  and  I,  a  boy  of 


MY   BOYHOOD   DAYS.  19 

twelve  or  thirteen  years,  on  top  of  the 
load  of  lumber.  I  was  powerless,  as  the 
oldest  and  best  teamster  in  the  world 
would  be  under  the  circumstances. 

My  cousin,  Alfred  Stevens,  was  driving 
the  team  ahead  far  enough  to  be  out  of 
danger. 

The  team  behind  was  driven  by  Jake 
Dixon,  who  described  the  affair  afterwards. 

He  said,  when  he  noticed  my  horses  were 
running  away  and  the  wagon  zig-zagging 
now  on  one  side  of  the  road  just  on  the, 
edge  of  the  precipice,  and  then  on  the 
other  side,  that  I  was  standing  up  straight 
with  a  line  in  each  hand  holding  the  horses 
with  all  the  strength  I  had  until  near 
the  bottom  of  the  hill,  when  I  pulled 
the  horses  suddenly  to  the  left  up  against 
the  hill,  still  holding  on  to  the  reins,  and 
jumped  clear  of  the  wagon,  the  near  horse 
breaking  loose  as  the  wagon  went  over  the 
bank. 

I  did  not  receive  a  scratch,  but  was 
badly  frightened.  The  horses  were  not 
much  injured,  only  some  cuts  on  their 
legs  made  by  the  splintered  wagon  tongue  ; 
but  they  were  also  badly  scared  and 


20    KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

stood  trembling  while  some  kindly  farmers 
and  carpenters,  working  on  a  new  building 
near,  came  and  put  liniment  on  the 
horses'  legs  and  coddled  me  quite  a  good 
deal  on  my  narrow  escape  and  helped 
my  cousin  and  Dixon  repair  the  wagon 
and  re-load  the  lumber  and  start  me 
again  on  my  trip. 

I  have  often  been  over  that  same  road 
since  and  always  stop  to  see  the  place  that 
came  so  near  ending  my  earthly  career. 
When  I  remember  how  many  narrow 
escapes  from  disaster  and  imminent  peril  I 
have  passed  through,  it  seems  to  me  my  life 
has  been  a  charmed  one.  The  dear  Lord 
has  often  allowed  me  to  see  the  brink  of 
peril  and  danger,  and  then  snatched  me,  as 
it  were,  from  the  very  jaws  of  death. 

I  remember  about  this  time,  my  father 
with  several  hired  men  were  up  in  the 
mountain,  some  three  or  four  miles  from 
home,  peeling  bark.  They  would  leave 
home  early  in  the  morning  returning  at 
evening.  I  used  to  drive  an  old  horse  and 
wagon  and  carry  their  dinner  to  them. 

Sometimes  my  brother  Calvin,  a  younger 
brother,  would  accompany  me.  On  one 


MY    BOYHOOD   DAYS.  21 

occasion  when  he  was  with  m'e  we  both 
desired  to  stay  and  see  the  great  trees 
chopped  down  and  fall.  One  was  a  giant 
hemlock  ;  father  stationed  us  behind  where 
the  tree  was  expected  to  fall ;  where  he 
considered  it  perfectly  safe  for  us  to  stand. 
This  tree  in  falling  struck  another  tree,  up- 
rooting and  carrying  it  down  with  it.  The 
roots  of  this  tree,  however,  uprooted  another 
tree  standing  close  to  it,  throwing  it  back 
directly  where  we  stood.  Father  called 
loudly,  "run,  boys,  run,"  and  I  did  just 
dodge  the  tree,  but  not  so  my  little  brother ; 
the  body  of  the  tree  struck  him  on  his  head 
and  shoulders,  and  only  for  a  small  log 
which  it  fell  across  would  have  crushed  him 
into  the  earth.  As  it  was,  when  he  was 
pulled  out  from  under  the  tree,  he  was  limp 
and  lifeless  ;  we  all  supposed  he  was  dead. 
Father,  who  under  all  circumstances 
never  lost  his  head,  called  for  water, 
which  he  dashed  in  his  face,  rubbed  him, 
tried  every  way  possible  to  bring  back  the 
spark  of  life,  but  failing  to  bring  him  to, 
took  him  in  the  wagon  down  to  the  nearest 
house — Mr.  Street's — a  mile  away,  hurried 
a  man  off  on  horseback  to  Gilboa  for  the 


22        RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

nearest  doctor,  three  miles  away.  Mean- 
time father  tried  everything  he  could  think 
of,  even  to  opening  a  vein  in  the  arm  with  a 
penknife,  which  in  those  days  was  con- 
sidered the  thing  to  do  in  such  cases. 
About  the  time  we  who  were  watching  saw 
the  doctor  and  messenger  coming  in  the 
distance,  their  horses  on  a  full  run,  my 
brother  began  to  show  signs  of  life  and 
soon  was  able  to  look  around  and  to 
enquire  what  was  the  matter. 

After  a  few  hours,  father  took  him  in 
his  arms  on  a  pillow  in  an  easy  buck- 
board  wagon,  and  under  careful  nursing  he 
recovered. 

Owing  to  the  log,  which  was  providenti- 
ally just  on  that  spot  and  held  up  the  tree, 
no  bones  were  broken  or  any  vital  organs 
injured.  The  shock,  however,  nearly  term- 
inated his  life,  and  the  fright  to  me  and  all 
the  rest  was  terrible. 

As  before  remarked  the  country  was  new 
and  rough ;  all  the  social  life  partook 
largely  of  the  unrefined  and  rougher  side 
of  human  nature.  The  holidays  were,  for 
the  men  and  boys,  days  of  rough  games. 
Wrestling,  racing,  jumping,  shooting  at 


MY    BOYHOOD    DAYS.  23 

chickens  twelve  paces  off  (the  chickens  tied 
to  a  tree  or  fence)  for  live  cents  a  shot ;  if  a 
shot  drew  blood  or  broke  a  bone  the  shooter 
won  the  chicken.  Sometimes  it  would  take 
a  dozen  shots  before  the  chicken  was  hit, 
and  again  the  first  shot  might  take  it. 

The  older  marksmen  would  shoot  at 
turkeys  or  geese  at  much  longer  distance 
with  a  rifle  and  at  rest,  the  price  for  each 
shot  would  be  double  or  more,  as  geese  and 
turkeys  were  more  valuable.  In  these  days 
this  kind  of  sport  would  be  called  cruel, 
and  rightly  so ;  but  nobody  in  those  days 
seemed  to  make  any  objection. 

I  have  often  seen  some  of  these  men 
and  boys  trudging  their  way  home  with  a 
load  of  fowls  over  their  shoulder,  the 
triumph  of  their  skill  during  the  day. 

The  principal  occasions  that  brought 
together  the  boys  and  girls  were  apple  bees, 
husking  bees,  logging  bees,  quilting  bees, 
and  the  like. 

The  logging  bees  were  to  clear  up  a  piece 
of  timber  land  which  had  been  cut  and 
burned  over.  The  logs  were  to  be  cut  in 
suitable  lengths  and  drawn  together  with 
oxen  or  horses  and  piled  in  huge  piles  to 


24    RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

be  burned.  This  was  the  way  all  that 
country  was  cleared  for  tillage.  The  men 
with  their  teams  would  come  in  the  after- 
noon and  work  faithfully  until  night.  The 
women  folks  would  prepare  a  sumptuous 
supper ;  in  the  evening  the  young  people 
would  remain  and  others  come  in  and  have 
a  merry  time;  if  a  tiddler  could  be  obtained, 
a  dance  would  be  in  order. 

The  quiltings  would  be  the  same,  only  the 
girls  and  women  would  meet  in  the  after- 
noon and  work.  The  young  men  came  in 
the  evening  and  had  the  usual  frolic. 

The  apple  bees,  however,  were  really  the 
most  popular  of  all.  At  these  bees,  the  boys 
and  girls  would  all  work  together,  peeling 
and  quartering  apples  until  nine  o'clock. 
Then  a  nice  supper  or  refreshments  and  the 
usual  play  or  dance,  kept  up  until  mid- 
night or  after.  How  many  happy  matches 
were  made  and  declarations  of  love  on 
these  occasions  can  never  be  known.  One  of 
the  exercises  of  these  apple  bees  was  to 
swing  an  apple  peel  around  the  head  three 
times  and  let  it  fall  behind  the  back.  This 
peeling,  with  the  help  of  a  little  imagina- 
tion, would  form  some  initial  letter  of  the 


MY   BOYHOOD   DAYS.  25 

future  husband  or  wife  of  the  thrower. 
The  most  interested  party  would,  of  course, 
want  to  make  the  letter  what  he  or  she 
desired  it  to  be. 

I  set  out  in  this  letter  to  tell  you  some- 
thing of  my  father  and  mother  ;  but  you  see 
I  have  been  digressing.  As  I  said,  my 
father  was  a  man  of  indomitable  perse- 
verance, no  obstacle  could  discourage  him. 

Besides  the  great  amount  of  work  he 
always  had  on  hand,  he  held  the  office  of 
justice  of  the  peace  for  many  years.  In 
those  days  a  justice's  court  was  a  very 
democratic  affair.  The  spare  room  in  the 
house  was  usually  where  his  courts  were 
held,  unless  some  very  important  case,  a 
horse  case,  or  trespass,  or  something  which 
would  draw  a  crowd.  In  such  cases  the  court 
would  adjourn  to  the  barn,  where  tables, 
benches  and  chairs  would  be  provided,  and 
plenty  of  standing  room  on  the  clean  swept 
barn  floor.  A  jury  of  six  men  would  often 
sit  all  day  to  hear  and  decide  a  case  involv- 
ing a  few  dollars.  The  lawyers  who  would 
try  these  cases  were  generally  farmers  who 
had  somehow  got  hold  of  a  copy  of  some 
old  law-book  and  a  little  smattering  of  law, 


26        RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

and  the  way  they  would  lay  it  down  to 
the  justice  and  jury  was  something  wonder- 
ful and  often  very  ridiculous.  In  these 
justice's  courts  very  much  latitude  was 
allowed.  The  lawyers  would  generally 
abuse  the  opposing  lawyer  and  his  client, 
as  though  this  was  the  best  part  of  his 
duties. 

When  a  case  was  put  on  the  calendar 
and  the  issues  joined,  before  trial,  the 
plaintiff  would  make  out  his  brief  and 
file  it  with  the  justice  giving  the  particu- 
lars of  his  claim  and  what  he  proposed 
to  prove  "  a  bill  of  particulars." 

Then  the  defendant  would  also  file  his 
brief  in  reply,  which  would  generally  deny 
every  one  of  the  plaintiff's  allegations  and 
state  what  he  proposed  to  prove,  and 
neither  party  could  go  into  any  proof 
not  mentioned  in  these  briefs ;  hence  it 
was  important  that  every  possible  ground 
of  allegation  or  defence  should  be  fully 
covered. 

For  instance,  John  Smith  sued  George 
Jones  for  a  potash  kettle  which  he  had 
borrowed  and  returned  broken.  The  brief 
would  be  something  of  this  style  : 


MY   BOYHOOD   DAYS.  27 

'  c  The  said  kettle  was  whole  when  he 
borrowed  it  and  was  broken  when  he  re- 
turned it,  to  his  damage  ten  dollars."  The 
defendant's  reply  would  be  something  like 
this:  "  The  kettle  was  broken  when  we 
borrowed  it ;  it  was  whole  when  we  re- 
turned it,  and  beside  this  we  never  had 
his  kettle." 

This  seems  very  ridiculous,  but  so  do 
many  technical  forms  of  law  as  still 
practiced  in  our  courts. 

In  those  days  a  debtor  could  be  sent  to 
jail  if  he  could  not  pay  his  debts ;  a  barbar- 
ous relic  of  barbarous  times. 

I  remember  one  poor  debtor  begging  his 
creditor  not  to  send  him  to  jail,  promis- 
ing to  pay  as  soon  as  he  possibly  could. 
My  father  also  interceded  for  him.  If  I 
remember  right,  the  man  was  not  sent  to 
jail,  though  the  commitment  was  made  out ; 
but  it  was  only  through  the  mercy  of  the 
creditor,  and  no  thanks  to  the  statute  laws 
of  our  state. 

Thanks  to  the  progressive  spirit  of  civil- 
ization and  Christianity  this  barbarous  law 
was  long  since  repealed. 

Like   slavery  and  some    other  relics  of 


28        RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

heathendom,  men  were  slow  to  realize  the 
terrible  wickedness  and  cruelty  which  for 
ages  disgraced  our  race. 

As  I  said,  my  father  was  one  of  the  busiest 
of  men,  and  yet  often  a  whole  day  would 
be  taken  up  with  some  little  frivolous 
matter.  Still,  as  I  remember,  the  com- 
munity were  a  peaceable  quiet  people,  set, 
of  course,  in  their  own  way,  and  perhaps 
a  little  tenacious  of  what  they  considered 
their  rights. 

I  must  add  a  word  in  regard  to  my 
mother.  She  was  in  all  respects  the  best 
of  mothers,  patient,  untiring  in  her  devotion 
to  her  family,  the  best  and  most  even 
tempered  woman  I  ever  knew.  Her  maiden 
name  was  Abigail  Hand,  of  Suffolk  County, 
New  York.  Her  father  was  Captain  Hand, 
an  old  sea  captain  of  a  whale  ship.  In  those 
days  the  whaling  business  was  one  of  the 
leading  enterprises  of  New  England  and 
Long  Island.  The  descendants  of  Captain 
Hand  are  among  the  first  citizens  of  the 
country. 

I  must  not  forget  to  speak  of  the  schools 
of  those  early  days.  The  only  school  I 
attended  was  in  the  old  school  house  on 


MY   BOYHOOD   DAYS.  29 

the  hill,  near  where  the  Presbyterian 
Church  now  stands  in  Gilboa.  I  well 
remember  just  how  it  looked ;  the  desks 
along  the  wall  on  two  sides  of  the  room 
and  one  end,  and  the  board  seats  in  front 
of  the  desks.  The  girls  sitting  on  one  side 
and  the  boys  on  the  other,  some  of  the 
larger  girls  and  boys  at  the  end,  the 
teacher's  desk  separating  them. 

At  the  other  end  of  the  room  was  a  large 
open  fireplace,  originally  where  great  logs 
were  burned  ;  but,  later,  this  was  boarded  up 
and  a  large  box  stove  put  up  which  would 
take  in  wood  four  feet  long,  and  had  to  be 
kept  red  hot  to  make  the  room  any  way 
comfortable  in  cold  weather. 

The  wood  was  drawn  as  required  by  dif- 
ferent patrons  of  the  school,  and  cut  at 
recess  or  before  school  hours  by  the  boys ; 
sometimes  the  teacher  helping.  Teachers 
always  boarded  around.  I  well  remember 
the  first  day  I  ever  went  to  school.  The 
teacher,  a  Mr.  Freese,  who  was  boarding  at 
our  house,  took  me  with  him.  I  was  called 
up  to  his  desk  to  say  A,  B,  C,  and  I  remem- 
ber the  laugh  of  the  school  at  my  bashful- 
ness  and  awkwardness. 


30        RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

As  a  rule,  strict  discipline  was  required 
during  school  hours,  and  the  schoolmaster 
did  not  spare  the  rod  ;  but  when  school  was 
out  the  master  often  joined  with  the  boys  in 
games.  Base  ball  was  popular  then  as  well 
as  now,  and  snow-forts  were  built,  defended 
by  one  party  and  attacked  by  another,  often 
leading  to  real  fights  and  bloody  noses  be- 
fore the  fort  was  captured  or  the  aggressors 
repulsed. 

Every  young  man  from  the  age  of  18  to 
45  years  had  to  be  enrolled,  had  to  own 
a  gun  with  all  the  accouterments,  and 
turn  out  two  days  in  each  year  for  manual 
exercise  and  military  tactics.  Company 
training  was  held  in  each  town  some  day 
in  the  early  fall,  and  then  a  few  weeks 
later  the  general  training,  where  all  the 
companies  in  the  county  would  convene 
at  some  central  place  and  go  through  all 
the  evolutions  ;  the  colonel,  lieutenant-colo- 
nel and  staff  officers,  equipped  in  showy 
uniform,  mounted  on  fiery  steeds. 

The  first  time  I  ever  attended  one  of 
these  general  musters,  my  eldest  brother, 
Ozias,  was  the  colonel.  I  was  then  a  boy 
not  old  enough  to  be  a  soldier ;  but  I  well 


MY    BOYHOOD   DAYS.  31 

remember  my  boyish  enthusiasm  as  I 
watched  the  evolutions  of  that  regiment 
of  a  thousand  men. 

I  have  seen  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  at 
least  one  hundred  thousand  men,  with 
all  the  appliances  of  actual  war,  with  not 
half  the  enthusiasm  I  felt  on  that  first 
general  training  day. 

The  military  ardor  in  those  days  was  the 
still  burning  embers  of  the  Revolution  and 
the  War  of  1812.  There  were  many  Revolu 
tionary  soldiers  still  living.  Mr.  Williams, 
one  of  the  captors  of  Major  Andre,  was  one, 
living  in  our  town  and  a  frequent  visitor 
at  our  house.  There  were  several  noted 
Indian  lighters.  I  remember  one  in  par- 
ticular, old  Mr.  Ellerson.  I  have  often 
listened  to  his  harrowing  tales  of  Indian 
massacres  ;  some  of  his  own  family  were 
killed  by  the  Indians  and  he  had  many 
hair-breadth  escapes.  He  was  one  of  a 
few  men  who  held  the  fort  at  Schoharie, 
tilled  with  women  and  children,  against  a 
great  force  of  Indians  and  Tories  until 
relief  came  from  Albany.  Schoharie, 
County  was  the  great  Indian  lighting 
ground  during  the  Revolution. 


32        RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

I  remember  a  show  coming  to  the  village, 
and  some  real  Indian  riders  were  a  part  of 
the  show,  and  they  rode  through  the  streets 
in  the  afternoon  in  their  Indian  dress  and 
war-paint,  and  gave  their  old  time  war- 
whoop.  Old  Mr.  Ellerson  could  not  stand 
this.  He  wanted  to  borrow  a  gun  and  fire 
away  at  them  ;  he  remembered  the  old  days 
and  what  he  had  suffered  from  these  ' '  Red 
Devils,"  as  he  called  them.  Well,  these 
old  patriots  have  all  passed  away.  Some 
of  them  lie  in  the  cemetery  in  Gilboa, 
where  my  grandfather  lies,  and  the  Grand 
Army  boys  and  veterans  of  our  late  war  on 
Decoration  days  bring  flowers  and  decorate 
their  graves  with  the  graves  of  their  com- 
rades of  the  Civil  War.  Heroes  all  of  them ; 
and  it  shows  the  patriotism  of  the  Ameri- 
can people  to  hold  in  sacred  reverence  the 
men  who  gave  their  lives  for  their  country. 

Daily  newspapers  were  not  then  known. 
The  weekly  papers  were  watched  for  on 
the  day  they  were  expected,  and  the  old 
CatsJcill  Recorder  and  Albany  Argus  and 
Christian  Advocate  and  Journal  were  our 
weekly  supply  of  reading  matter.  All  these 
papers  are  still  published. 


MY   BOYHOOD   DAYS.  33 

The  Gilboa  post-office  was  then  kept  at 
the  parsonage,  Rev.  Winslow  Paige  being 
postmaster  under  President  Jackson's  ad- 
ministration. 

His  was  the  next  house  from  my  father's, 
and  the  stage  driver  would  begin  to  blow 
his  horn  as  he  passed  our  house  to 
notify  the  postmaster  to  be  ready  for  the 
mail. 

This  Mr.  Paige  was  one  of  the  best  of 
men — courtly  dignified,  though  cheerful 
and  social. 

He  was  very  much  respected  by  the  entire 
community.  His  remains  lie  beside  his 
wife  in  the  old  cemetery  at  Gilboa. 

I  always,  when  visiting  Gilboa,  love  to 
stand  by  the  graves  of  the  old  patriots 
and  go  back  in  memory  to  my  boyhood 
days.  The  almost  forgotten  incidents  come 
back  freshly  to  my  mind. 

The  line  fence  between  adjoining  farms 
generally  caused  a  good  deal  of  trouble.  A 
neighbor  whose  farm  adjoined  Mr.  Paige's 
on  one  side,  one  Sunday  morning  discovered 
some  of  Mr.  Paige's  cattle  in  his  cornfield; 
he  was  mad  and  rushed  to  Mr.  Paige's 
house,  found  him  reading  his  bible.  The 


34        RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

story  as  told  by  John  Layman,  the  faithful 
hired  man,  was  about  as  follows  : 

Without  any  preliminary  words,  he  blurt- 
ed out,  "  Mr.  Paige,  Mr.  Paige  !  here  you  sit, 
the  word  of  God  in  your  mouth,  the  devil 
in  your  heart  and  your  cattle  in  my  corn." 

Mr.  Paige,  like  most  clergymen  in  those 
times,  kept  a  side-board  with  a  few  decan- 
ters, and  after  sending  John  to  see  about 
the  cattle,  mollified  the  neighbor  by  a  little 
something  from  the  side-board. 

Mr.  Paige  was  an  educated  man,  and 
probably  on  this  account  some  of  the  other 
preachers,  the  hallelujah !  and  amen !  shout- 
ers,  gave  him  the  cold  shoulder. 

They  did  not  believe  education  was  con- 
ducive to  religion,  but  rather  a  hindrance. 

In  a  discussion  on  this  question  of  an 
educated  ministry,  it  was  said  one  of  the 
leading  opponents  settled  the  question  in 
his  own  mind,  if  he  convinced  nobody  else. 
He  said:  "There  was  St.  Paul,  the  great- 
est preacher  that  ever  lived,  he  wasn't 
' edicated' ';  wasn't  he  brought  up  at  the 
foot  of  Gamel  Hill,  the  poorest  country  and 
among  the  poorest  people  in  the  world?" 
These  preachers  were  popular  and  drew  the 


MY   BOYHOOD   DAYS.  35 

masses;  no  doubt,  did  much  good.  They 
certainly  had  access  among  the  plain 
people  that  more  cultivated  preachers 
did  not  have.  They  were  not  above 
work ;  indeed,  many  of  them  were  farmers 
and  mechanics,  and  worked  six  days  in  a 
week  and  preached  twice  or  three  times  on 
Sunday.  As  a  rule  they  were  a  jovial,  jolly 
set,  quick  at  repartee  and  ready  for  a  joke. 

At  a  gathering  of  preachers,  standing  on 
the  piazza  in  front  of  a  house,  a  brother 
preacher,  coming  up  the  walk,  slipped  on 
the  ice  and  fell.  One  of  the  brothers  on  the 
piazza  called  out  to  him:  "Brother,  the 
wicked  stand  on  slippery  places."  "Yes," 
he  replied,  "I  see  they  do,  but  I  can't." 

They  were  hard  workers,  as  were  all  the 
people ;  had  no  time  for  rest.  Their  idea 
of  heaven,  no  doubt,  was  as  a  place  of  rest 
—eternal  rest. 

The  hymns  most  popular  and  sang  with 
greatest  zest  were  those  of  "Rest  for  the 
Weary." 

"  Oh  land  of  rest,  for  thee  I  sigh  ; 
When  will  the  moments  come  ? ' ' 

These  hard  toilers  were  good  men  and 


36         RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

women ;  they  longed  for  something  differ- 
ent, and  rest,  eternal  rest,  seemed  to  them 
the  acme  of  bliss,  and  so  they  sang,  and 
dreamed  and  believed  their  future  reward 
would  be  "  Rest  for  the  Weary." 

The  story  is  told  of  the  early  mission- 
aries in  Greenland.  They  told  these  poor, 
frozen  heathens  of  a  place  of  heat,  of  lire,  of 
everlasting  burning  ;  but  that  seemed  what 
these  people  most  wanted.  They  had  no 
desire  for  anything  better  than  lire,  ever- 
lasting tire,  and  while  the  missionaries 
preached  that  doctrine,  that  was  the  main 
thing  they  wanted  to  hear  about. 

And  so  it  seems  ' '  The  heaven  of  each  is 
what  each  desires." 

I  remember  a  good  many  of  the  old 
inhabitants,  and  many  of  their  peculiarities. 
They  are  all  now  gone ;  some  of  their  de- 
scendants remain  ;  but  mostly  a  new  gener- 
ation occupy  the  country. 

The  opening  up  of  the  great  West  has  in- 
duced emigration  from  the  sterile,  rough 
farms  of  the  East.  The  growing  cities  have 
offered  attractions  and  allurements  for  the 
young  men,  so  that  but  few  of  the  descend- 
ants of  the  old  first  settlers  remain. 


MY   BOYHOOD   DAYS.  37 

The  conditions,  however,  in  that  once  iso- 
lated section  have  greatly  changed  for  the 
better.  Railroads  have  twined  themselves 
around  the  mountains  ;  telegraphs  have  put 
people  in  communication  with  the  rest  of  the 
world  ;  steam  has  superseded  water  power. 

The  old  tanneries  that  used  to  give 
employment  to  hundreds  of  men  have  all 
rotted  down,  the  country  having  been  long 
since  stripped  of  its  hemlock  bark.  The  old 
tanners  of  those  days,  the  men  of  enter- 
prise, of  power  in  the  community,  all  gone. 
There  was  Col.  Pratt,  Major  Dickerman, 
the  Tuttles,  the  Strykers,  Mr.  Croswell, 
the  Stevens — my  father  and  Uncle  Smith 
Stevens, — all  passed  away.  With  the  fail- 
ure of  the  bark  in  that  country,  nearly  all 
of  the  tanners  gave  up  the  business. 
Not  so,  however,  with  the  Stevens  family. 
The  sons  of  my  Uncle  Smith  Stevens 
struck  out  for  new  fields.  They  purchased 
a  large  tract  of  hemlock  timber  land  in 
Sullivan  County,  New  York,  built  a  large 
tannery,  founded  a  settlement,  building 
a  church  and  school  house,  and  a  thriving 
village  which  the  people  of  that  section 
insisted  upon  naming  "  Stevensville."  For 


38         RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

twenty  years  they  carried  on  a  successful 
business,  until  the  hemlock  bark  became 
scarce,  when  they  struck  out  again  for  new 
fields,  and  selected  a  large  territory  of  bark 
land  in  Pennsylvania,  where  my  cousin, 
D.  Tompkins  Stevens  and  his  son  Morris, 
are,  at  this  time,  carrying  on  one  of  the 
largest  tanneries  in  the  country  with  great 
success.  I  ought  to  speak,  in  passing,  more 
of  this  dear  Uncle  Smith  Stevens.  He  and 
my  father  were,  during  nearly  all  their 
lives,  working  together  in  one  interest,  all 
their  enterprises  being  carried  on  together 
except  their  farms. 

The  relations  between  the  families  were 
the  most  cordial ;  never  a  particle  of  friction. 
Their  enterprises  were,  in  the  main,  un- 
profitable ;  at  least  they  never  accumulated 
any  wealth,  and  only  by  great  industry  and 
strict  economy  were  able  to  make  ends 
meet  after  paying  their  debts.  Their  debts 
were  to  them  sacred,  and  no  man  ever  lost  a 
dollar  by  them.  In  all  that  country  no 
man  ever  questioned  the  honesty  of  these 
men.  Their  bond  was  always  good,  their 
note  always  good,  and  their  word  as  good 
as  their  bond  or  note. 


MY    BOYHOOD   DAYS.  39 

There  was  one  debt  that  hung  over  my 
lather  which  kept  him  financially  embar- 
rassed from  my  earliest  recollection,  nearly 
all  through  my  boyhood  days.  This  was  a 
debt  he  owed  the  Catskill  Bank,  of  a  few 
hundred  dollars,  being  for  a  note  of  my 
Uncle  Levi  Stevens  which  my  father  had 
indorsed. 

This  uncle  had  built  a  store  and  hotel, 
and  carried  on  merchandizing.  He  died 
suddenly,  leaving  his  business  quite  un- 
settled. In  closing  it  up  there  was  just 
enough  to  pay  everything  in  full,  except 
this  note  which  my  father  had  to  pay. 

Through  the  kindness  of  Orrin  Day,  the 
president  of  the  Bank,  the  collection  of  the 
note  was  not  pressed,  but  was  renewed, 
year  after  year,  upon  paying  the  interest 
every  six  months. 

The  recollection  of  this  note  has  been 
a  life-long  lesson  to  me  against  indorse- 
ments. One  word  more  in  regard  to 
these  men.  I  have  no  doubt  they  were 
both  true  Christians.  My  uncle  was,  all 
his  life,  one  of  the  leading  members  and 
supporters  of  the  Methodist  Church;  his 
house  was  always  open  to  its  ministers.  My 


40        RECOLLECTIONS   OF    A   LIFETIME. 

father  was  also  a  supporter  of  and  attended 
its  meetings  with  the  family,  and  ministers 
were  always  welcome  at  our  house  and  were 
often  entertained.  Yet  he  did  not  unite  with 
the  church  until  quite  late  in  life,  when  he 
and  my  mother  both  publicly  professed 
their  faith  in  Christ,  and  I  believe  were 
true  followers  of  the  Lord  Jesus  until  their 
death. 

My  father  died  suddenly,  at  Conesville, 
in  August,  1848,  in  the  68th  year  of  his 
age. 

My  mother  also  died  suddenly  at  Gilboa, 
in  November,  1869.  She  had  lived  in  the 
family  of  my  brother  Ozias,  for  21  years, 
since  the  death  of  my  father.  She  was  in 
the  87th  year  of  her  age.  She  was  as 
tenderly  cared  for  and  watched  over  by 
my  brother's  wife  and  all  the  family,  and 
loved  by  them  as  devotedly  as  if  she  had 
been  their  own  mother. 

They  lie  side  by  side  in  the  old  cemetery 
in  Gilboa,  They  left  to  their  children  a 
precious  memory.  They  were  faithful  to 
every  duty ;  they  did  what  they  could. 
Their  example  and  precepts  were  all  they 
were  able  to  leave  to  their  children. 


MY    BOYHOOD   DAYS.  41 

A  small,  rough,  farm  where  my  father 
died  in  Conesville,  was  all  the  property  he 
had  saved  during  his  life  of  toil,  and  the 
proceeds  of  this  barely  supported  my 
mother  the  21  years  she  survived. 


42    EECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 


LETTER  IY. 
MY  DEAR  H.— 

These  disconnected  thoughts  of  my  early 
days,  you  see,  I  put  down  as  they  come  up 
in  my  mind.  When  I  was,  I  think,  about 
14  years  of  age,  my  brother,  Ozias,  had  a 
large  quantity  of  hemlock  bark  to  peel  on 
his  farm  on  Clay  Hill. 

To  get  a  few  dollars  of  spending  money 
I  would,  when  I  could  be  spared  for  a  day, 
go  and  work  for  him,  and  he  paid  me  50 
cents  a  day.  It  came  towards  haying  and 
harvest  time,  and  father  thought  I  could 
not  be  spared  any  longer  ;  but  I  begged  to 
go  one  more  day,  and  this  day  proved  to  be 
a  very  unfortunate  one.  In  trimming  a 
tree,  my  axe  glanced  and  made  a  deep  gash 
in  my  knee.  Brother  Ozias  harnessed  his 
horse  and  took  me  home  with  my  leg 
all  bandaged  up. 

My  father,  as  I  have  said,  never  lost  his 
head,  but  his  methods  sometimes  were 
what  might  be  called  heroic.  In  this  case, 
he  washed  out  the  deep  gash  in  my  knee, 
which  extended  into  the  bone,  called  for  a 


MY   BOYHOOD   DAYS.  43 

needle  and  thread  and  just  sewed  up  the 
gash  as  he  would  a  cut  in  a  garment, 
bandaged  it  up,  and,  thanks  to  my  good 
condition  of  health,  it  soon  healed  up  ;  but 
a  deep  scar  has  ever  been  a  reminder  of 
the  event. 

During  that  same  summer  or  the  next,  I 
am  not  positive  which,  occurred  the  most 
serious  sickness  I  ever  experienced.  We 
were  getting  in  hay  ;  I  became  overheated 
and,  feeling  faint  and  sick,  begged  to  lie 
down  in  the  barn  until  they  brought 
another  load.  I  remember  nothing  further 
until  weeks  after.  I  learned  that  when 
they  came  with  another  load  they  could 
not  wake  me,  and  carried  me  to  the  house 
and  I  was  out  of  my  head  for  days.  Doctor 
Fanning  was  with  me  almost  day  and  night, 
typhoid  fever  set  in,  and  only  by  the  most 
careful  nursing  of  my  dear  mother  and 
sister  was  I  carried  through.  I  became 
almost  a  skeleton,  so  wasted  away,  and 
was  afflicted  with  abscesses  in  my  side 
and  limbs.  The  doctor  and  the  family 
all  claimed  it  was  a  miracle  that  I  re- 
covered. 

In  speaking  of  the  work  in  those  days, 


44    RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

there  was  no  eight  hour  law  practiced  or 
thought  of.  A  day's  work  was  from  day- 
light till  dark,  with  very  short  intermis- 
sions for  meals  ;  and  when  the  sun  crossed 
the  line,  September  20th,  evening  work 
commenced.  My  own  evening  work  was 
either  in  my  father's  blacksmith  shop  as 
assistant,  blowing  the  bellows  and  using 
the  sledge  hammer  or  pointing  horse  shoe 
nails,  heading  nuts  or  something  of  the 
sort ;  or  in  the  barn,  husking  corn  or  turn- 
ing fanning  mill.  When  I  went  to  school 
the  work  of  the  day  was  always  planned  in 
reference  to  the  boy's  work  at  night. 

When  I  was  not  going  to  school  I  worked 
with  the  hired  man  and  father,  chopping 
wood,  threshing,  plowing,  hoeing  corn, 
digging  potatoes,  cutting  logs,  haying  and 
harvesting,  all  done  by  hand — no  mowing 
machines  or  reapers,  or  even  hay  rakes  ;  all 
hard  handwork. 

After  the  day's  work  was  done,  then 
came  the  chores,  milking  eight  or  ten  cows, 
bringing  in  wood,  bringing  water  from  the 
spring,  feeding  the  pigs,  churning,  water- 
ing and  caring  for  the  horses,  going  to  the 
post-office  for  weekly  papers,  and  at  long 


MY    BOYHOOD   DAYS.  45 

intervals      finding    a     letter    from     some 
thoughtful  friend. 

There  was  no  time  for  play,  and  but  little 
for  rest.  On  the  Fourth  of  July  when 
we  had  finished  our  stint,  hoeing  a  certain 
patch  of  corn  or  potatoes,  we  could  go  to 
the  village  and  see  the  sports.  Always 
some  sort  of  doings — a  grove  meeting,  and 
a  speech  by  some  young  lawyer,  or  promi- 
nent citizen,  and  cannon  firing,  gatherings 
at  the  tavern  or  stores,  and  Revolutionary 
stories  by  some  of  the  old  Revolutionary 
soldiers.  The  village  band — consisting  of 
a  bass  drum,  a  small  drum,  a  fife  and  bugle 
—would  enliven  the  day,  and  the  young 
people  had  a  dance  in  the  evening. 

On  one  notable  Fourth  of  July,  the 
one  which  I  remember  most  distinctly  of 
any,  there  was  a  procession  led  by  Col. 
Pratt,  as  Marshal,  an  oration  read  by  Mr. 
Croswell,  firing  cannon,  and  music  by  the 
band. 

In  the  procession,  all  the  men  and 
boys  of  the  village  and  surrounding 
country  fell  in  line,  led  by  the  band,  and 
marched  to  a  grove  near  the  school  house, 
where  Mr.  Croswell  read  his  oration.  I 


46        RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

took  my  position  as  near  as  possible,  and 
seem  to  remember  that  oration  better  than 
any  speech  I  now  recall.  He  commenced 
his  oration  in  these  words. 

"Fellow  citizens,  friends  and  neighbors  : 
Fifty-six  years  ago  to-day  our  fathers  de- 
clared themselves  free  and  independent." 

This  would  fix  the  date  of  that  cele- 
bration July  4th,  1832.  On  the  same  day, 
after  the  oration,  while  the  cannon  was 
being  fired  as  rapidly  as  possible,  there 
was  a  premature  discharge  and  one  of 
the  prominent  men  of  the  village,  a  Mr. 
Woolsey,  who  was  helping  load  the  can- 
non, had  his  arm  shot  off .  I  was  standing 
quite  close  to  him,  and  so  well  remember 
all  the  circumstances ;  the  force  of  the  ex- 
plosion whirled  him  around  like  a  top 
before  he  fell  to  the  ground. 

'There  was,  of  course,  great  excitement. 
Dr.  Benham  and  Dr.  Knapp  were  soon 
there,  but  they  were  neither  of  them  sur- 
geons ;  at  least,  the  case  was  so  serious  that 
some  one  was  sent  on  a  fleet  horse  to  Oak 
Hill,  some  15  miles,  for  Dr.  Hamlin.  He 
came  in  the  evening,  and  amputated  his 
arm  at  the  shoulder,  but  the  poor  man  died 


MY   BOYHOOD   DAYS.  47 

next  day,  and  one  of  the  largest  funerals 
ever  held  in  the  village  was  attended  by 
people  far  and  near.  Mr.  Paige  preached 
the  funeral  sermon. 

My  brother  Jason  had  been  for  several 
years  a  clerk  in  my  brother  Ozias'  store.but 
on  coming  of  age,  in  the  spring  of  183{§lie 
started  out  in  business  for  himself.  He 
went  to  Cairo,  where  he  invested  the  few 
hundred  dollars  he  had  been  able  to  save  up 
in  buying  out  Col.  Lucius  D.  Hill's  coun- 
try store,  and  there  in  that  village,  for  the 
past  sixty  years,  he  has  carried  on  the  same 
business  which  he  now,  in  his  eighty-second 
year  of  his  age,  with  his  son,  De  Alanson, 
still  carries  on. 

His  going  into  business  there  was  largely 
influential  in  shaping  my  whole  business 
life.  My  custom  had  been  to  attend  the 
district  school  during  the  winter ;  but  as 
brother  Jason  needed  a  clerk,  he  proposed 
that  I  should  come  to  Cairo  and  help  him 
in  his  store  instead  of  going  to  school  for 
the  winter,  and  this  was  so  arranged  ;  and 
for  two  winters  I  was  clerk  in  his  store, 
going  back  early  in  the  spring  to  work  on 
the  home  farm. 


48    RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

When  in  my  18th  year,  Mr.  Andrew 
Rickey,  a  cousin  by  marriage,  proposed  to 
my  father  to  go  in  partnership  and  start 
a  country  store ;  he  to  furnish  the  capital 
and  father  to  put  in  my  services  and  my 
two  winters'  experience  against  his  capital 
and  services,  and  this  was  done. 

A  store  was  built  for  them  in  Conesville, 
near  the  Humphry  tavern  in  that  town,  an 
isolated,  scattered  population  of  farmers. 

Mr.  Rickey  and  my  father  concluded 
there  was  an  opening  to  build  up  a  trade 
here,  and  they  seemed  to  have  the  idea  that 
I  could  manage  the  thing  successfully  ;  and 
that  was  where  I  commenced  my  mercantile 
life,  as  I  said,  in  the  18th  year  of  my  age. 

Neither  Mr.  Rickey  or  my  father  had  the 
slightest  knowledge  of  merchandizing, 
either  buying  or  selling  goods ;  they 
trusted  it  all  to  me. 

I  had  never  been  to  New  York.  I  got 
the  names  of  merchants  from  whom  my 
brothers  Ozias  and  Jason  bought  goods. 
I  went  to  these  houses  and  bought  our 
goods.  We  ran  this  store  about  a  year  and 
a  half,  until  the  summer  of  1839,  when  Mr. 
Rickey  was  offered  an  interest  in  his 


COMMENCING   MERCANTILE   LIFE.         49 

father  in-law's  tannery  at  Strykersville, 
and  the  store  was  removed  to  that  place. 
My  father  gave  up  his  interest  then  in  the 
business,  coming  out  just  even — no  profit  or 
loss  ;  my  services  had  been  thrown  in  for 
nothing.  Mr.  Rickey  and  Uncle  Smith  de- 
sired irie  to  stay  with  them  on  a  salary,  and 
offered  me  quite  liberal  inducement.  I  re- 
mained with  them  a  few  months,  but  the 
lease  of  the  store  in  Conesville  had  two 
years  to  run  at  a  very  low  rent,  and  some 
of  the  people  in  that  section  urged  me  to 
come  back  and  open  the  store  again.  I 
took  the  matter  into  serious  consideration. 

At  this  time  I  think  my  entire  capital 
was  something  less  than  $50.  In  talking 
the  matter  over  with  my  father,  he  thought 
it  utterly  impossible  ;  and  brother  Ozias 
said  it  was  absurd  and  preposterous  to  even 
think  of  it.  I  was  not  yet  20  years  of  age, 
no  capital  and  no  credit ;  at  least  being  a 
boy  under  age,  he  did  not  suppose  I  could 
get  credit. 

He  thought,  as  I  would  myself,  if  I  had 
had  more  experience  and  seen  more  of  the 
world  ;  but  I  felt  sanguine  and  determined. 
One  of  our  old  customers  at  Conesville,  Mr. 


50        EECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

Elias  Thompson,  kindly  offered  to  lend  me 
850  for  a  year  with  my  father's  indorse- 
ment, and  my  father  said  he  would  indorse 
the  note,  and  this  settled  it.  I  borrowed 
the  money  and  in  October  1839,  went  to 
New  York,  called  on  the  merchants  whom 
I  had  bought  goods  from  as  a  clerk, 
explained  the  whole  situation  to  them  ;  that 
my  age  was  under  20  years,  had  no  capital 
but  good  health,  strong  determination  and 
confidence ;  that  I  would  succeed ;  light 
expenses,  and  I  knew  the  people  and  they 
knew  me.  After  talking  with  each  of  the 
firms  from  whom  I  desired  to  buy  goods,  I 
found  every  one  of  them  willing  to  sell  me 
on  the  usual  credit  of  four  months  for  groc- 
eries, and  six  months  for  dry  goods,  hard- 
ware, crockery,  drugs  and  medicines.  Not 
one  of  them  asked  me  for  an  indorser,  and 
all  seemed  anxious  to  sell  me  even  more 
than  I  felt  it  prudent  to,buy. 

I  was  rather  a  green-looking  boy,  I 
believe,  but  they  seemed  to  think  I  had  an 
honest  face ;  indeed  one  of  the  merchants, 
Mr.  Edward  Corning,  of  whom  I  shall 
speak  hereafter,  said  to  me:  "Yes,  I  will 
trust  you  for  your  face." 


COMMENCING   MERCANTILE   LIFE.         51 

In  all  my  mercantile  and  business  experi- 
ence, I  never  knew  a  similar  instance — a 
boy  under  age,  with  no  capital,  buying  a 
full  stock  of  goods  on  credit,  with  no  guar- 
antee or  even  a  recommend  ;  it  has  always 
been  a  mystery  to  me. 

The  old  merchants  of  New  York  were 
different  men  from  the  later  class,  depend- 
ed much  less  on  capital  and  more  on  char- 
acter. The  first  inquiry  of  the  modern 
merchant  is  :  "  What  is  your  capital? "  If 
that  is  satisfactory,  the  rest  is  likely  to 
pass. 

I  believe  the  old  merchants  made  fewer 
mistakes,  though  they  seemed  to  take  more 
risks. 

The  merchants  with  whom  I  commenced 
business  were  the  grandest  men  I  have 
ever  done  business  with.  If  I  could  find  a 
single  member  of  any  of  the  firms,  it  would 
afford  me  the  greatest  pleasure  to  visit  them. 
I  kept  up  an  acquaintance  with  them  all,  as 
long  as  they  were  in  business ;  but  the 
changes  in  houses  gradually  replaced  them, 
one  after  another,  until  their  names  are 
scarcely  remembered  in  business  circles ; 
and  doubtless  not  a  single  member  of  any 


52    RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

of  these  firms  is  now  living.  The  firms 
were :  Dry  goods,  Jackson  &  Duel,  on 
Pearl  street ;  groceries,  Van  Yliet  & 
Wycoff,  on  West  street ;  hardware, 
Edward  Corning,  on  Maiden  Lane  ; 
crockery,  John  Thompson,  on  Pearl  street. 

It  gives  me  the  greatest  pleasure  to  think 
and  to  say  that  these  men  never  lost  a  penny 
by  me,  nor  did  any  other  merchant.  I  never 
failed  in  business,  nor  compromised  with  a 
creditor,  nor  paid  less  than  one  hundred 
cents  on  a  dollar. 

About  the  first  of  November,  1839,  my 
stock  of  goods  arrived  and  made  a  very 
respectable  showing  in  the  old  store.  The 
aggregate  amount  of  my  stock  was  about 
$1,500. 

I  had  fitted  up  the  store  to  make  it  as 
attractive  as  possible.  There  was  a  small 
back  room  which  I  fitted  up  for  a  bed- 
room, and  my  mother  furnished  me  with 
bed  and  bedding,  and  there  I  slept. 

I  engaged  board  at  Deacon  Daniel  Bicht- 
meyer's,  only  a  short  walk  from  the  store, 
for  which  I  paid  $1.50  per  week,  which 
included  also  my  washing.  I  kept  no 
clerk,  used  to  get  up  and  open  the  store 


COMMENCING   MERCANTILE   LIFE.         53 

at  daylight,  sweep  out  and  get  ready  for 
business,  then  hang  a  card  on  the  door, 
' '  gone  to  breakfast,  will  be  back  in  a 
few  minutes  ; ' '  same  for  dinner,  and  same 
for  supper.  Customers  would  wait ;  there 
was  no  other  store.  I  kept  the  store  open 
till  bed  time.  Indeed  as  I  slept  in  the  store 
it  was  always  open  for  business,  except 
three  times  a  day  when  I  was  absent  to  my 
hasty  meals. 

The  sparsely  populated  community  seemed 
friendly  and  gave  me  their  patronage;  most 
of  it,  however,  was  on  credit  or  barter. 
As  spring  approached  I  was  exceedingly 
anxious  to  collect  all  the  money  I  could  and 
get  ready  to  go  to  New  York.  I  got  my 
father  to  indorse  a  bank  note  with  me  for 
$300,  on  four  months'  time  ;  and,  with  what 
money  I  had  collected  from  my  winter's 
sales,  started  for  the  city. 

The  president  of  the  Tanners'  Bank  in 
Catskill,  had  known  my  father  for  many 
years,  and  with  his  indorsement,  I  could 
always  get  a  small  bank  loan.  With  this 
money,  and  $700  or  $800  beside  which  I 
had  collected,  I  went  to  see  my  creditors; 
told  them  frankly  all  about  the  business, 


54    RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

what  I  had  collected,  and  what  I  had  bor- 
rowed and  what  I  proposed  to  do — to  divide 
the  money  pro  rata,  which  would  leave 
about  25  per  cent,  of  their  bills  unpaid, 
which  I  proposed  to  send  them  as  soon  and 
as  fast  as  I  could.  They  all  seemed  pleased, 
made  not  the  slightest  objection,  and  all  of 
them  complimented  me  on  my  success. 
They  were  perfectly  willing  to  sell  nie  all  I 
wanted.  Old  Mr.  Corning  was  so  cordial 
and  fatherly,  he  said  he  would  wait  on  me 
himself.  He  being  the  head  of  the  firm, 
this  was  a  very  unusual  thing  for  him  to  do. 

He  taught  me  some  things  about  selling 
goods,  which  I  have  always  remembered  and 
followed;  that  was,  not  to  urge  goods  on  a 
buyer  for  the  sake  of  making  a  sale,  but  to 
look  at  the  interest  of  the  buyer  as  well  as 
the  seller,  and  rather  make  the  customer 
feel  sorry  that  he  had  not  bought  more, 
than  that  he  had  bought  too  much. 

I  shall  speak  again  of  this  good  man  and 
successful  merchant  later. 

When  obliged  to  be  absent,  I  had  my 
nephew,  Orrin  J.  Rose,  attend  the  store. 
He  was  a  young  lad,  bright  and  smart.  He 
became  a  successful  merchant  in  Chicago  ; 


COMMENCING   MERCANTILE   LIFE.         55 

representing  our  country,  later  on,  as  consul 
to  Germany.  Returning  home  in  the  fall 
of  1872,  he  was  taken  sick  in  New  York, 
and  died.  His  remains  rest  in  my  family 
lot  in  Greenwood. 

I  carried  on  the  business  in  Conesville 
for  more  than  three  years. 

I  was,  naturally,  of  a  social  disposition, 
and  had  a  large  acquaintance  among  the 
young  people,  and  though  my  business 
kept  me  much  confined,  still  I  had  Sundays 
and  occasionally  managed  to  attend  parties  ; 
but  never  felt  that  I  could  afford  to  neglect 
business  for  anything  else. 

Among  all  the  young  ladies  of  my 
acquaintance,  there  was  one  to  whom  I  was 
attracted  from  the  first  time  I  saw  her— 
Miss  Sarah  Delia  Cornwell,  second  daughter 
of  Mr.  Gilbert  Cornwell,  of  Strykersville. 
She  was  nearly  a  year  younger  than  my- 
self. The  attachment  was  mutual,  and  in 
due  time  we  talked  over  the  matter  of 
marriage. 

There  were  young  ladies  of  my  acquaint- 
ance who,  I  had  every  reason  to  believe, 
would  be  willing  to  share  my  fortune, 
though  at  this  time  my  fortune  was  all  in 


56    RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

anticipation,  and  they  could  have  brought 
financial  aid,  which  I  so  much  needed  ;  but 
I  wisely  preferred  the  little  girl  I  loved, 
though  I  well  knew  I  would  get  only  her- 
self. Her  fortune,  like  my  own,  was 
willing  hands  and  a  warm  heart. 

On  the  10th  of  February,  1841,  we  were 
married.  I  had  only  just  passed  my  21st 
birthday,  and  she  her  20th ;  were  only 
children  in  years,  but  we  were  both  more 
experienced  in  work  and  cares  than  most 
young  people  of  that  age. 

She  was  the  second  daughter,  as  I  have 
said,  and  had  ten  brothers  and  sisters 
younger.  Her  mother  was  not  a  strong 
woman  ;  her  eldest  sister  was  much  attached 
to  books,  and  at  an  early  age  became  a 
school  teacher,  so  that  from  early  child- 
hood, Sarah  B.  had  been  about  the  head 
of  this  large  family.  She  was,  therefore, 
fully  competent  to  become  the  head  of 
another  household. 

I  made  no  mistake  in  my  choice  of  a  wife  ; 
no  man  ever  had  a  better.  She  was  a  help- 
meet in  every  sense  of  the  word. 
Neglected  no  duty,  was  affectionately 
devoted  to  her  husband  and  family,  un- 


COMMENCING   MERCANTILE   LIFE.         57 

sellish  and  untiring.  She  was  in  all  re- 
spects a  model  wife  and  mother. 

Her  memory,  which  is  all .  that  is  left,  is 
very  precious  to  me  ;  while  her  dear  body 
lies  in  yonder  Greenwood,  beside  our  first 
and  last  born  darlings. 

Almost  immediately  after  our  marriage, 
we  commenced  housekeeping  in  a  house  not 
far  from  my  store,  where  we  lived  two  years. 

Our  first  born,  Marion,  saw  the  light  of 
day  there.  I  can  never  forget  how  we  almost 
worshipped  this  baby,  she  was  an  angel  to 
us.  Of  course,  we  had  our  trials  as  all  mor- 
tals have — sickness,  anxieties  and  worries  ; 
but  we  were  hopeful  and  always  tried  to 
look  on  the  bright  side  of  things. 

When  business  matters  began  to  look  a 
little  brighter,  and  we  were  feeling  more 
hopeful  for  the  future,  and  exceedingly 
happy  with  our  darling  little  one,  our  hap- 
piness was  suddenly  marred  by  a  very 
unlooked-for  event. 

One  morning,  on  opening  my  store,  I 
found  robbers  had  been  in  during  the  night 
and  carried  off  a  large  portion  of  the  goods. 
They  had  broken  open  a  back  window  ; 
had  taken  plenty  of  time  to  assort  and  take 


58    RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

out  the  best  of  my  stock.  We  found,  under 
the  window,  tools  stolen  from  a  neighbor- 
ing blacksmith  shop,  which  had  been  used 
to  pry  open  the  shutters  and  we  concluded 
the  robbers  were  not  professionals,  but  pos- 
sibly somebody,  living  not  far  off,  familiar 
with  the  surroundings.  The  neighbors  got 
together  and  proposed  to  form  parties  and 
search  all  the  neighboring  houses,  barns, 
and  places  where  goods  might  be  secreted. 
One  or  two  houses  were  suspected,  but  as 
there  were  no  suspicious  circumstances  to 
warrant  search-warrants,  a  voluntary  search 
was  proposed  and  carried  out ;  but  nothing 
was  found,  and  to  this  day  it  is  a  mystery. 

This  was  a  terrible  blow  to  us,  as  the 
goods  were  not  paid  for,  my  credit  at  stake, 
a  family  on  my  hands,  and  altogether  a 
discouraging  outlook. 

Soon  after  this  I  collected  all  the  money 
I  could  from  my  customers,  borrowed  at  the 
bank  my  usual  amount,  and  went,  with  my 
heart  in  my  mouth,  to  New  York,  to  see  my 
creditors.  I  told  them  just  what  had  hap- 
pened and  how  I  stood.  These  grand  men, 
without  exception,  offered  to  compromise 
and  throw  off  part  of  their  account,  which 


COMMENCING    MERCANTILE   LIFE.         59 

I  declined.  I  only  asked  a  little  more  time, 
and  told  them  I  should  work  it  out.  They 
were  pleased,  and  complimented  me  on  my 
pluck.  I  divided  up  my  money  among 
them  on  account,  and  purchased  another 
stock  of  goods,  and  continued  the  business 
in  Cones ville  until  the  spring  of  1843. 

At  the  first  town  meeting,  after  my  com- 
ing of  age,  I  was  nominated  and  elected 
a  Commissioner  of  Common  Schools  for 
the  town.  This  was,  at  that  time,  quite  a 
responsible  office.  It  involved  the  receiving 
and  disbursing  the  public  money  of  the 
state  for  common  schools — to  apportion  the 
same  among  the  districts.  The  duties  were 
to  visit  the  district  schools  of  the  town,  and 
write  a  report  of  their  condition  to  the 
county  superintendent ;  to  settle  disputes 
between  school  districts  and  establish  the 
boundaries  ;  to  inspect  teachers.  All  this 
was  entirely  new  business  for  me,  but  I  felt 
honored  with  the  office,  and  devoted  time 
and  study  for  its  details,  and  believe  I  suc- 
ceeded in  fulfilling  its  duties  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  people. 

I  declined  a  renomination,  as  it  involved 
being  absent  too  much  from  my  business. 


60    RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 


LETTER  Y. 
MY  DEAR   H.— 

In  the  spring  of  1843,  my  brother  Ezra, 
who  had  been  in  business  several  years  in 
Cairo,  proposed  to  sell  out  to  me  his  goods, 
and  lease  his  store  and  house.  We  finally 
concluded  the  bargain,  and  I  closed  up  my 
Conesville  store,  shipping  my  goods  and 
household  effects,  and  moving  my  little 
family,  wife  and  baby,  Marion,  then  just  a 
year  old,  to  Cairo. 

This  was  quite  a  change  for  us.  Cairo 
was  then  a  thriving  village,  with  several 
stores,  churches,  schools,  and  good  society. 
We  soon  formed  pleasant  acquaintances, 
and  enjoyed  the  best  social  life  of  the 
place. 

In  this  village  we  passed  ten  years  of  our 
lives.  Here  our  two  other  children  were 
born,  Florence  and  Ella. 

I  look  back  to  the  ten  years  of  our 
residence  in  Cairo  with  a  good  deal  of 
interest ;  we  had  very  dear  friends  there. 

My  brother,  Jason,  carried  on  the  largest 
mercantile  business  in  the  place.  He  was 


REMOVAL   TO   CAIRO.  61 

a  bachelor,  and  boarded  with  us  until  about 
1849,  when  he  married  Miss  Rebecca  King, 
of  Freehold,  N.  Y.  They  are  both  still 
living,  and  they  have  ever  made  us  welcome 
guests  at  their  house  ;  it  has  always  seemed 
like  going  home,  to  visit  them. 

The  decade  we  spent  in  Cairo  were  years 
of  many  changes — years  of  labor  and  trials. 

I  met  with  some  severe  losses,  which,  at 
the  time,  seemed  almost  unbearable. 

On  the  whole,  however,  I  might  say  my 
business  was  reasonably  successful. 

I  built,  while  there,  the  store  and  house 
which  I  sold  to  my  brother  Edward,  where 
he  lived  and  traded  for  many  years,  and 
which  is  now  occupied  by  his  son,  Allie 
B.  Stevens. 

During  this  time  my  dear  sister,  Eliza- 
beth, died.  As  I  have  said  in  a  former 
letter,  she  was  the  nearest  human  being  to  an 
angel  I  ever  knew.  She  devoted  her  life  to 
the  care  of  our  parents  in  their  declining 
years. 

She  was  also  an  angel  of  comfort  to 
the  sick,  poor,  and  sorrowing  in  all  that 
country;  a  devoted  Christian  herself,  she 
did  missionary  work  for  the  Master. 


62        RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

But  right  in  the  midst  of  her  usefulness, 
when  it  seemed  she  could  not  be  spared, 
an  inscrutable  Providence  laid  her  on  a  sick 
bed,  with  typhoid  fever,  from  which  she 
never  arose. 

The  family  were  living  in  Conesville;  we 
were  sent  for,  myself  and  wife,  as  were 
other  members  of  the  family,  but  her  mind 
wandered — she  never  recognized  any  of 
us. 

Oh,  how  we  prayed  for  the  life  of  this 
precious  one ;  but  the  dear  Lord  knew  best, 
and  He  took  her. 

With  agonized  hearts  and  helpless  hands, 
"  We  watched  her  breathing  through 

the  night, 
Her  breathing  soft  and  low, 

As  in  her  breast  the  wave  of  life 
Kept  heaving  to  and  fro. 

»"'•*'•''  -*:':    "*•'•  -i'-:-  ""»'•.  ~  # 

Our  very  hopes  belied  our  fears, 
Our  fears,  our  hopes  belied  ; 

We  thought  her  dying,    when    she 

slept, 
And  sleeping  when  she  died." 

It  was1  a  terrible  blow  to  all  of  us,  but 


DEATH    OF    MY    SISTER.  63 

for  poor  mother  it  was  well  nigh  crushing. 
Yet  God  tempers  the  wind  to  his  shorn 
lambs.  She  never  murmured  or  rebelled ; 
her  sweet  temper  and  Christian  faith  sus- 
tained her. 

They  procured  a  housekeeper.  My  young- 
est brother,  Edward,  was  then  at  home,  and 
the  children  and  grandchildren  visited 
them  as  often  as  possible,  trying  to  comfort 
and  cheer  the  dear  ones. 

It  seems,  often,  the  old  saying  comes 
true  : 

"When  sorrows  come  they  come  not 
single  spies,  but  in  battalions." 

The  next  summer  a  messenger  came  one 
Sunday  afternoon,  in  August,  1848,  telling 
us  father  was  dead.  He  died  suddenly,  of 
heart  failure,  while  sitting  by  the  table  talk- 
ing with  mother  about  some  book  he  was 
reading.  It  was  a  great  shock  for  poor 
mother.  We  were  all  sent  for,  and,  again, 
the  old  home  was  a  house  of  mourning. 

The  funeral  was  held  in  the  Methodist 
Church  in  Strykersville,  the  same  place 
where  sister  Elizabeth's  funeral  was  held 
the  year  before,  and  the  sermon  preached 
by  the  same  preacher,  the  presiding  elder, 


64    RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

Rev.  Mr.  Buck,  and  remarks  also  by  the 
local  preachers. 

It  was  a  very  impressive  funeral.  He  was 
one  of  the  oldest  inhabitants,  loved  and 
respected  by  the  entire  community.  I  well 
remember  every  incident ;  the  long  proces- 
sion from  the  house  in  Conesville,  to  the 
church,  and  from  the  church  to  the  ceme- 
tery in  Gilboa.  The  chapter  read  before 
the  sermon,  being  the  last  chapter  of 
Ecclesiastes,  beginning  :  ' '  Remember  now 
thy  Creator  in  the  days  of  thy  youth, 
before  the  evil  days  come,"  and  the  lesson 
drawn  from  the  whole  chapter,  and  a  very 
affecting  incident. 

Uncle  Smith  Stevens  had  been  laid  up  for 
weeks  with  inflammatory  rheumatism,  but 
he  was  brought  to  the  Church,  and  before 
the  coffin  lid  was  closed,  he  was  helped  to 
the  coffin  and  gazed,  with  all  the  intense 
affection  he  felt,  into  the  face  of  his  dear 
brother  with  whom  he  had  walked  so 
lovingly  during  their  whole  lives  long. 
Before  he  was  helped  away  from  the  coffin, 
he  cried  out,  in  the  most  pathetic  and  loving- 
voice,  never  to  be  forgotten,  "  Fare  well, 
dear  brother  Gershom,  farewell,  farewell !  " 


DEATH   OF   MY   FATHER.  65 

The  whole  church  and  the  preachers 
broke  down,  and  for  several  minutes  noth- 
ing but  sobs  could  be  heard.  It  was  one  of 
the  most  affecting  incidents  I  ever  saw  at 
any  funeral. 

This  grand  old  man,  himself  seeming 
just  on  the  brink  of  the  grave,  bidding 
farewell  to  a  dear  brother  from  whom  he 
had  never  been  separated  before.  This 
dear  Uncle,  who  was  one  of  the  best  loved 
men  in  all  that  country,  lived  several  years 
after  this,  and  with  his  dear  wife  lies,  not 
far  from  my  father  and  mother,  in  the  old 
Gilboa  cemetery. 

Several  years  since  the  old  Methodist 
Church  in  Gilboa  was  burned  ;  but  a  new 
and  larger  church  was  built  and  dedicated 
some  two  or  three  years  ago. 

A  line  bell  was  donated,  and  a  beautiful 
memorial  window  put  in  by  Mr.  D.  Tomp- 
kins  Stevens,  to  the  memory  of  his  father 
and  mother.  He  also  assisted  materially  in 
building  the  church. 

In  the  early  days  of  Methodism,  in  the  be- 
ginning of  this  century,  before  many  Meth- 
odist churches  were  built  in  that  section, 
grandfather  Stevens  built  and  kept  a  hotel, 


66    EECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

and,  as  was  the  custom  then  in  the  country, 
a  ball-room  was  an  indispensable  append- 
age to  a  country  tavern. 

This  ball-room  of  grandfather's  was 
always  open  for  a  Methodist  preacher  to 
hold  his  meetings,  and  the  preachers  were 
always  welcome  guests  without  charge.  The 
sons  inherited  this  same  feeling,  especially 
Uncle  Smith,  whose  house  was  never  too 
small  to  accommodate  the  brethren  and 
sisters. 

At  the  quarterly  meetings,  people  came 
from  many  miles  distant  on  Saturday  and 
remained  over  Sunday.  These  people  were 
apportioned  off  among  the  local  brethren. 

The  names  of  those  desiring  accommoda- 
tion were  handed  in  to  the  presiding  elder 
or  the  local  preacher  at  the  Saturday  meet- 
ting,  and  the  number  publicly  announced. 

Then  the  preacher  would  inquire  of  the 
brethren  how  many  they  could  accommo- 
date, calling  each  by  name.  Uncle  Smith 
would  say,  ' '  accommodate  all  who  desire  to 
take  guests,  and  send  all  the  rest  to  him ; 
he  could  take  as  many  as  he  had  boards  in 
the  floor  ; "  and  Aunt  Anna  was  just  as  will- 
ing, and  they  usually  had  their  house  filled 


UNCLE   SMITH    STEVENS.  67 

on  those  occasions,  and  these  good  Method- 
ist brethren  and  sisters  would  have  a 
happy,  joyous  time,  even  before  the  public 
" love-feast"  of  Sunday. 

This  dear  uncle  was  a  many-sided  man ; 
he  was  a  thorough  Christian  gentleman, 
kind  and  gentle  in  his  manner,  courteous 
and  affable  to  all ;  yet  he  was  firm  and 
determined,  if  occasion  required. 

I  remember  an  incident  to  illustrate  this. 
There  was  a  big  boy  in  the  neighborhood, 
the  terror  of  all  the  boys.  He  delighted 
in  quarrelling  and  fighting  with  smaller 
boys,  and  even  boys  of  his  own  size ;  would 
assault  them  just  for  fun,  without  any 
reason. 

This  boy,  I  understand,  turned  out  to  be 
quite  a  respectable  man,  and  is  now  a  prac- 
ticing physician ;  so  I  will  withhold  his 
name. 

Uncle  Smith's  son,  Fletcher,  was  one  of 
this  boy's  victims  ;  had  often  been  chased 
and  beaten  by  him.  But  he  grew  fast,  and 
one  day  he  made  up  his  mind  he  would  not 
run  again  from  him,  but  would  stand  his 
ground,  and  he  did.  This  boy  came  at  him, 
and  they  had  the  hardest  boy  fight  ever 


68        RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

known  in  that  region.  It  was  nip  and  tuck, 
but,  finally,  Fletcher  got  the  best  of  him, 
and  he  improved  his  opportunity,  and 
pounded  him  to  his  heart's  content — he 
paid  him  back,  with  interest. 

This  boy's  father  was  a  doctor,  and  he 
had  a  patient  on  his  hands,  to  bind  up  his 
bruises.  He  went  to  see  Uncle  Smith,  "mad 
as  a  March  hare,"  demanded  satisfaction, 
and  that  Fletcher  be  punished  severely. 

Uncle  Smith  heard  him  patiently,  then 
called  Fletcher,  and,  in  the  presence  of  the 

doctor,  said :  ( '  Fletcher,  did  you  whip f ' 

Fletcher  said,  "yes,  sir."  Uncle  Smith  said, 
" can  you  do  it ? "  Fletcher  said,  "yes,  sir." 
Uncle  Smith  said,  "then  you  see  that  he 
behaves  himself." 

This  was  not  the  kind  of  satisfaction  the 
doctor  expected,  but  it  was  all  he  got,  and 
I  believe  the  lesson  to  the  boy  was  of  great 
benefit  to  him. 

During  this  time  the  great  Miller  excite- 
ment occurred,  the  time  for  the  ending  up 
of  all  earthly  things.  The  end  of  the  world 
had  about  come  and  the  time  was  fixed. 

These  Millerites  had  figured  out  from  the 
book  of  Daniel  the  "Times  and  Times  and 


MILLER   EXCITEMENT.  69 

a  half  and  the  dividing  of  Time,"  to  bring 
it  to  a  certain  day,  I  believe  in  July  ;  if  I 
remember  it  was  1843,  and  the  time  was 
12  o'clock  of  that  day. 

As  strange  as  it  may  seem,  many  believed 
it.  Some  became  insane,  and  the  excite- 
ment grew  as  the  time  approached.  Meet- 
ings were  held,  preparations  made,  con- 
fessions for  sins  and  restitution  where  real 
or  fancied  wrongs  had  been  committed, 
as  far  as  possible,  and  ascension  robes 
provided. 

If  it  had  not  been  so  serious,  it  would 
have  been  laughable. 

Many  stories  were  told  afterward  which 
showed  the  ridiculousness  of  the  whole 
thing. 

A  certain  deacon  in  New  England  used  to 
hold  meetings  and  exhort  the  people.  He 
felt  sure  no  mistake  had  been  made,  and  the 
end  of  all  things  was  at  hand.  As  far  as  he 
was  concerned,  he  would  say,  ' '  it  mattered 
not ;  he  was  ready,  fully  prepared,  felt  sure 
he  was  saved." 

When  the  day  arrived,  he  walked  out  to 
view  the  surroundings  and  to  watch  the 
coming  of  his  Lord.  As  the  time  drew 


70    RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

near,  he  climbed  on  a  stack  of  hay,  to  get 
a  better  view,  and  it  being  a  hot  day,  and 
having  passed  sleepless  nights,  tired  nature 
gave  out,  and  he  fell  asleep.  Some  wicked 
boys,  knowing  the  deacon's  peculiarity,  set 
fire  to  the  stack  of  hay,  and  as  the  flames 
loomed  up  around  the  deacon,  he  awoke  in 
great  fright,  throwing  up  his  arms  above 
his  head,  screaming  at  the  top  of  his  voice  : 
"In  hell,  just  as  I  expected." 

He  escaped  the  flames  without  much 
damage,  but  he  lost  confidence  in  the 
interpretation  of  the  book  of  Daniel. 

It  was  during  this  decade,  1846,  the  war 
with  Mexico  was  precipitated  on  the 
country  by  the  Southern  slave  oligarchy,  in 
the  interest  of  the  extension  of  slavery. 
The  great  excitement  was  begun  by  the 
repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  and  the 
declaration  of  the  Southern  slave  holders 
and  Democrats  of  the  North  that  slavery 
was  a  national  institution,  and  had  a  right 
to  go  in  the  territories  and  be  protected, 
the  same  as  any  other  property. 

This  question  of  slavery  had  developed 
a  few  Abolitionists,  sincere  conscientious 
men  ;  but  both  the  great  political  parties, 


MEXICAN    WAR.  71 

Whig  and  Democratic,  tolerated  the  insti- 
tution, seeing  no  way  to  abolish  it  where 
it  already  existed.  But  when  it  was  as- 
serted by  the  Democratic  party,  that  slav- 
ery was  national,  instead  of  being  a  local 
institution,  thinking  men  of  the  North 
began  to  feel  it  was  time  to  call  a  halt. 
There  was  quite  a  large  element  of  such 
men  in  both  political  parties. 

These  men  called  a  national  convention, 
which  met  at  Buffalo,  and  formed  what  was 
called  the  "  Free  Soil  party."  This  simply 
meant,  and  their  platform  so  stated,  that  the 
normal  condition  of  the  new  territories  was 
free  soil  and  slavery  could  not  exist  there  ; 
but  they  did  not  contemplate  any  interfer- 
ence with  slavery  in  the  states  where  it 
already  existed. 

Another  element  in  both  parties  believed 
it  best  to  leave  the  question  to  the  people 
of  the  territories,  to  vote  whether  slavery 
should,  or  should  not,  exist.  This  was 
called  "  squatter  sovereignty,"  and  the 
leader  of  this  party  was  Stephen  A. 
Douglas. 

This  squatter  sovereignty  doctrine  was  so 
absurd,  involving,  as  it  did,  border  war  and 


72   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

neighborhood  fights,  it  obtained  but  a  small 
following. 

The  Democratic  party,  then  ruled  as  it 
had  been  for  a  generation  by  the  Southern 
oligarchy,  clung  to  the  doctrine  of  state 
rights  and  nationalization  of  slavery. 
Between  these  different  policies,  I  much 
preferred  the  Free  Soil.  I  detested,  with 
all  my  soul,  any  doctrine  that  tolerated 
human  slavery. 

During  these  exciting  times  the  Demo- 
cratic party  (or  rather  the  Southern  leaders 
of  that  party,  which  meant  the  same  thing) 
procured  a  decision  from  Judge  Taney,  the 
Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States,  in  the  Dred- Scott  case,  the 
most  abominable  ever  promulgated  from  the 
bench  of  any  court  in  Christendom  ;  it  was 
that  the  negro  had  no  rights  that  white 
men  were  bound  to  respect.  This  decision, 
handed  down  from  the  bench  of  the  highest 
court  in  the  United  States,  was  accepted 
as  sound  doctrine  by  the  Democratic  party, 
North  and  South. 

It  did  seem  that  this  cursed  system  of 
human  slavery,  "the  sum  of  all  villainies," 
was  to  be  firmly  fixed  as  a  permanent  insti- 


OLD   POLITICAL   PARTIES.  73 

tution  in  our  country.  This  doctrine  was  so 
repugnant  to  every  instinct  of  decency,  of 
humanity,  of  civilization,  to  say  nothing  of 
Christianity,  or  the  spirit  of  the  age  in  all 
Christendom,  save  of  these  United  States, 
that  I  wondered  decent  men  could  tolerate 
such  an  infernal  doctrine.  I  must  say,  my 
blood  boiled  with  indignation;  my  soul 
cried  out  in  protest  and  shame  at  the  out- 
rage. 

It  was,  to  my  mind,  inconceivable  that 
any  person  of  any  self-respect,  or  feel- 
ing of  common  humanity,  could  tolerate 
such  an  edict.  I  shall  have  more  to  say  in 
regard  to  this  matter  in  a  subsequent  letter. 

It  is  a  great  satisfaction  that  the  best 
portion  of  all  parties  at  the  North  did 
revolt,  and  not  only  repudiated  this  doc- 
trine, but,  within  a  few  years,  passed  laws, 
not  only  that  negroes  had  rights  that  white 
men  were  bound  to  respect,  but  that 
dumb  beasts  had  rights  that  all  persons 
were  bound  to  respect. 

Those  party  zealots  swallowed  every  doc- 
trine and  platform  of  their  party,  no  matter 
how  absurd .  Like  the  old  preacher  whose 
morning  lesson  in  the  Bible  he  had  marked 


74         RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

to  read,  being  the  account  of  Noah  and  the 
ark.  Some  wicked  boys  got  hold  of  the 
Bible,  and,  with  scissors  and  paste,  doc- 
tored the  passage  to  read,  "When  Noah 
was  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  old, 
he  married  a  wife  one  hundred  and  twenty 
fathoms  long  and  twenty  fathoms  deep; 
was  pitched  without  and  within."  He 
fixed  his  spectacles  and  read  it  over  again, 
and  finally  said:  "Brethren,  I  don't  re- 
member to  have  read  this  before,  but  it 
is  there  and  must  be  true.  It  illustrates 
the  saying,  'we  are  fearfully  and  wonder- 
fully made.5" 


SELLING   OUT   IN   CAIRO.  75 


LETTER  VI. 
MY  DEAE  H.— 

In  my  last  letter  I  spoke  of  several  inci- 
dents which  occurred  during  our  residence 
in  Cairo.  Both  myself  and  my  dear  wife 
applied  ourselves  to  business  and  to  work. 
Our  three  little  girls  were  our  constant  care  ; 
but  great  pets,  and  fully  repaid  us. 

There  were  no  kindergarten  schools 
thought  of  then  ;  but,  in  reality,  there  was 
such  a  school  in  Cairo.  Miss  Louisa  Prout, 
a  maiden  lady  of  fifty  years,  or  thereabouts, 
kept  a  private  school  in  her  own  house  for 
little  girls,  some  of  them  mere  infants. 
Mothers  felt  perfectly  safe  in  entrusting 
their  little  ones  to  her  care. 

She  not  only  taught  them  their  letters 
and  little  lessons,  but  also  sewing,  knitting, 
and  everything  that  is  now  taught  in  the 
kindergarten  schools.  She  dearly  loved  the 
children  and  they  all  loved  her.  She  passed 
away  many  years  since,  and  her  memory  is 
precious  among  many  mothers  and  grand- 
mothers, who  remember  her  care  of  them 
and  teaching  when  they  were  infants.  Her 


76        RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

rooms  were  a  combination  of  ixursery  and 
kindergarten  ;  she  was  well  adapted  for 
both. 

The  great  West  was  developing,  and  large 
emigration  from  the  East  drifting  that  way. 
My  father-in-law  sold  his  farm  in  Strykers- 
ville,  and  moved  to  Illinois,  taking  his 
entire  family,  except  my  wife  and  another 
daughter  (the  eldest)  the  wife  of  Vincent 
Sitzer,  living  in  Livingstonville,  Schoharie 
County,  and  the  eldest  son,  Ashabel,  who 
was  then  in  business  with  Mr.  Sitzer.  This 
son  died  soon  after,  and  Mr.  Sitzer,  a  year 
or  two  later.  His  wife,  with  three  children 
— a  son  and  two  daughters — went  to  her 
father's  house  in  Illinois. 

They  settled  in  Tazewell  County,  near 
Peoria,  a  tine  farming  country.  The  sons 
and  daughters  all  married  and  settled  down 
in  homes  of  their  own,  and  as  years  passed 
by,  father  and  mother  died,  the  farm  passed 
into  other  hands,  and  only  a  precious  mem- 
ory of  the  kindest  and  best  of  Christian 
parents  is  left  to  the  numerous  children  and 
grandchildren  surviving. 

The  reports  coming  from  the  West,  and 
accounts  of  the  marvelous  growth  of 


SELLING   OUT  IN   CAIRO.  77 

Chicago,    made    us    feel    like    trying    our 
fortune  there. 

In  the  spring  of  1852,  after  a  nine  years 
residence  in  Cairo,  my  youngest  brother, 
Edward,  then  married,  proposed  to  buy  me 
out — my  house,  store,  and  goods — and  we 
soon  after  completed  the  arrangement.  I 
was  to  continue  the  business  until  fall,  to 
reduce  my  stock  as  much  as  possible,  not 
replenishing,  and  then  turn  over  what  I  had 
left,  at  a  discount  of  twenty-live  per  cent, 
below  cost  or  current  market  price.  The 
stock  being  so  reduced — many  unsalable 
goods,  remnants,  etc. — the  arrangement  was 
mutually  satisfactory  ;  we  both  felt  we  had 
made  a  good  trade. 

I  then  began  to  cast  about  for  a  new  field 
for  business. 

Our  minds,  however,  were  strongly 
inclined  towards  Chicago. 

The  latter  part  of  May  in  that  year  I  left 
my  store  in  charge  of  my  clerk,  Sherman 
Lennon,  and  an  old  gentleman,  Wm. 
Pierson,  to  assist  as  needed,  and  our  young 
children  in  care  of  my  niece,  Hattie  E.  Scher- 
merhorn,  and  we  started  on  our  journey  for 
the  West,  combining  the  prospecting  for 


78    EECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

business  and  visiting  my  wife's  family  in 
central  Illinois. 

Travelling  was  very  different  in  those 
days  from  the  present.  There  was  no  rail- 
road between  Buffalo  and  Detroit  or  Cleve- 
land, and  only  a  short  line  completed  in 
Illinois,  between  Chicago  and  Freeport. 

We  took  a  lake  steamboat  at  Buffalo  for 
Detroit,  and  rail  from  there  to  Chicago. 

A  combination  of  circumstances  caused 
us  to  weaken  in  our  enthusiasm  for  mov- 
ing west.  Sea-sickness  and  storms  on  the 
lakes;  Chicago  was  then  a  mud  hole,  the 
streets  almost  impassible.  Foundations  of 
houses  and  stores,  and  public  buildings,  were 
being  laid  in  mud;  no  cellars  could  be  made. 

The  board  sidewalks,  in  walking  over, 
would  spurt  up  water  through  the  cracks, 
to  the  great  disgust  of  the  ladies;  and  to 
crown  all  a  cholera  scare,  and  many  cases 
of  cholera  in  Chicago  and  all  over  the  West. 
Scarcely  nothing  else  was  talked  of. 

We  neither  of  us  felt  well,  during  the 
week  we  staid  in  Chicago,  and  I  made  no 
arrangement  for  going  into  business  there. 
Indeed,  it  was  then  about  the  most  unin- 
viting place  I  had  ever  seen. 


TRIP   TO    ILLINOIS.  79 

I  had  the  refusal  of  one  store  of  a  block 
commenced  (the  brick  walls  being  just 
out  of  the  mud)  on  a  lease  of  five  years, 
at  SI, 200  a  year.  This  same  store  was  soon 
after  leased  by  Mr.  Potter  Palmer,  the 
millionaire,  who  made  his  fortune  in 
Chicago. 

Chicago  was  a  very  different  city  then 
from  what  it  became  afterward.  The  whole 
city  having  been  raised  out  of  the  mud,  ten 
to  fifteen  feet,  and  filled  in. 

After  we  had  carefully  looked  over 
Chicago  and  made  up  our  minds  that  we 
would  not  settle  there,  we  arranged  to  visit 
my  wife's  family  in  central  Illinois.  To  do 
this  we  had  to  travel  one  hundred  miles  on 
a  canal  boat,  our  first  experience  in  this 
mode  of  travel.  This  canal,  the  Henepin, 
ran  from  Chicago  to  Lasalle  on  the  Illinois 
River.  The  trip  occupied  just  24  hours, 
being  a  packet  express  boat,  and  with 
frequent  changes  of  horses,  were  enabled  to 
make  the  rapid  progress  of  four  miles  an 
hour.  The  journey  became  a  little  monoto- 
nous, but,  on  the  whole,  a  rather  pleasant 
experience.  About  the  only  drawback 
that  I  remember,  was  the  cloud  of  mosqui- 


80    RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

toes  that  followed,  and  enveloped  our  boat, 
and  disturbed  our  night' s  sleep. 

Instead  of  meeting  the  regular  steamboat, 
running  between  Peoria  and  Lasalle,  as  we 
expected,  we  found  that  a  prolonged  drought 
had  dried  up  the  river,  so  that  even  the  Hat 
bottom  boat  could  not  come  up  any  further 
than  Henry,  and  we  had  to  take  a  stage  the 
thirty  miles  or  more  from  Lasalle  to  Henry, 
and  there  found  the  boat  waiting. 

This  flat  bottom  boat,  as  I  remember,  was 
nothing  more  than  a  raft  with  an  engine  on 
it,  which  propelled  a  stern  wheel,  and 
several  times  got  stuck  in  the  muddy 
bottom  of  the  river.  We  flnally  reached 
Peoria  late  at  night,  found  accommodation 
at  an  over  crowded  hotel,  where  the  women 
occupied  cots  and  space  on  the  parlor  floor, 
and  the  men  were  distributed  in  the  other 
rooms  of  the  house. 

A  state  convention  in  the  city  had 
crowded  all  the  hotels. 

Next  day  I  procured  a  horse  and  buggy, 
and  drove  out  ten  miles  to  Morton,  where 
my  wife's  parents  were  living.  It  was  a 
joyful  meeting.  They  had  passed  through 
many  vicissitudes  of  pioneer  life  ;  but  were 


TRIP  TO   ILLINOIS.  81 

then  beginning  to  reap  the  reward  of 
their  enterprise,  being  settled  in  a  new, 
comfortable  house,  and  their  farm  under 
good  cultivation ;  some  of  the  daughters 
married  and  were  nicely  settled ;  the  sons 
both  engaged  and  soon  after  married. 
Altogether,  our  visit  was  exceedingly 
enjoyable. 

After  spending  a  few  weeks  with  our 
friends  in  Tazewell  County,  we  concluded 
to  visit  my  wife's  sister,  Rebecca,  and  her 
husband,  Rufus  K.  Frisbee,  whom  we  had 
never  seen. 

Their  home  was  in  Ogle  County,  a 
journey  of  more  than  100  miles,  mostly  over 
an  unbroken  prairie  ;  a  mere  track  for  a 
road,  and  cabins  generally  miles  apart — a 
good  three  days'  journey. 

With  a  fine  span  of  horses  and  easy 
carriage,  my  wife's  father  and  mother, 
my  wife  and  self,  went  on  this  journey ; 
it  was  an  enjoyable  trip. 

The  entertainments  on  the  way  were 
quite  plain,  but  exceedingly  bountiful. 
The  early  settlers  were  mostly  pioneers  from 
the  East,  and  eastern  people  were  very 
welcome  guests  ;  indeed,  we  had  to  insist 


82    RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

upon  paying  for  entertainments,  which 
they  were  loth  to  receive. 

The  country  was  new  and  wild.  Myriads 
of  prairie  chickens  would  fly  up  as  we 
passed,  and  young  broods  ran  ahead  of  us 
on  the  road.  The  prairies  were  filled  with 
these  fowl. 

Along  the  bluffs  of  rivers  and  streams, 
there  was  timber  extending  back  a  quarter 
to  half  a  mile  on  each  side.  In  this  timber 
we  often  saw  deer  and  beautiful  speckled 
fawn,  and  wild  turkeys.  They  sought  this 
timber  for  shade  and  access  to  water.  After 
spending  a  few  days  in  Ogle  county  with 
brother  and  sister  Frisbee,  father  Cornwell 
took  us  to  Rockford,  some  forty  miles,  to 
the  nearest  railroad  station,  on  the  only 
railroad  built  in  Illinois,  then  just  fin- 
ished to  Rockford.  We  then  turned  our 
faces  homeward,  visiting  Niagara  Falls  on 
the  way  ;  reaching  home  in  due  time,  after 
an  absence  of  over  two  months. 

We  had  never  been  separated  before  from 
the  dear  children,  and  were  overjoyed  to 
see  them,  and  they  had  been  counting  the 
days  and  hours,  watching  for  us. 

We  had  seen  much  of  the  country.     A 


TRIP   TO    ILLINOIS.  83 

journey  like  that,  in  those  days,  was  very 
different  from  traveling,  in  these  later 
times,  by  lightning  express  and  Pullman 
cars;  such  expedition  and  luxury  was 
undreamed  of.  I  have  often  traveled  over 
the  same  roads  since,  and  on  new  roads,  all 
over  the  great  West,  not  then  even  thought 
of,  retiring  at  night,  in  the  ample  berths  of 
the  luxuriant  Pullman  and  waking,  rested 
and  fresh  in  the  morning,  several  hundred 
miles  on  my  journey  during  the  night's 
sleep. 

Should  you  arrive  at  the  place  of  your 
destination  before  morning,  a  small  fee  to 
the  porter  would  insure  your  being  waked 
in  due  time. 

Sometimes  a  porter  would  make  a  mis- 
take and  either  forget,  or  would  wake  up 
the  wrong  passenger.  Such  an  incident  is 
said  to  have  occurred  on  the  New  York 
Central. 

A  gentleman,  taking  a  Pullman  in  the 
evening  at  Albany,  being  very  tired,  was 
afraid  he  would  over-sleep,  and  be  taken 
past  his  place,  Rochester.  So  he  called  the 
porter,  and  gave  him  a  big  fee  to  wake  him 
in  time  to  get  off,  and  cautioned  him  to  be 


84        RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A   LIFETIME. 

sure  and  see  he  got  off,  as  sometimes,  when 
suddenly  awakened,  he  was  a  little  dazed 
and  might  resist  being  woke  up  and  put  off. 
The  darkey  said,  "all  right,  boss,  I'll  be 
sure  and  put  you  off." 

In  the  morning  the  gentleman  woke  up 
as  the  conductor  called  out  Buffalo.  He 
inquired  for  the  darkey  porter,  and,  after 
searching,  found  him  in  the  porter's  saloon 
with  his  face  all  plastered  up  and  his  eyes 
blackened. 

The  gentleman  was  mad,  and  upbraided 
him  for  being  so  forgetful.  The  darkey 
was  so  amazed,  he  fairly  turned  pale.  He 
said  :  "  Why,  fo,  de  laud  sake,  is  you  the 
genman  who  gave  me  de  five  dollars  to  put 
him  off  at  Rochester ;  den  who  was  de 
genman  I  did  put  off  ?  " 

When  some  of  those  new  western  roads 
were  first  built  their  time  tables  were  very 
slow,  and,  generally,  they  were  behind  even 
the  slow  time.  Many  jokes  were  got  off  at 
the  expense  of  the  roads.  On  one  road  it 
was  recommended  by  some  wag  to  put  the 
cow-catcher  on  the  rear  end  of  the  train,  so 
the  cattle  would  not  run  over  the  train. 

Tramps,  then,  as  now,  bothered  conductors 


TRIP    TO   ILLINOIS.  85 

by  boarding  trains,  expecting  to  be  put  off  ; 
but  they  would  be  several  miles  on  their 
journey  before  the  conductor  came  around. 
The  president  of  the  road  happened  to  be  in 
the  car  when  one  of  these  tramps  was 
discovered  by  the  conductor.  He  said  he 
would  attend  to  his  case  himself,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  put  him  off  with  a  kick.  When 
the  train  stopped,  some  twenty  miles  from 
where  the  tramp  was  supposed  to  have  been 
put  off,  the  president  discovered  him  on  the 
platform  among  the  passengers.  He  went 
for  him  and  wanted  to  know  how  he  got 
there.  The  tramp  said  in  a  mock  whisper, 
"talk  low,  be  more  quiet,  I  don't  want  to 
give  your  darned  old  road  away,  I  walked." 
He  had  boarded  the  last  car,  unnoticed  by 
the  conductor  or  president. 

Some  good  stories  are  told  about  these 
tramps.  One  being  half  starved,  concluded 
he  would  get  one  good  square  meal  anyway 
He  walked  into  a  hotel  dining-room  at  the 
dinner  hour,  and  having  filled  his  empty 
stomach,  walked  boldly  up  to  the  office  and 
told  the  clerk  he  had  eaten  dinner,  but 
didn't  have  a  penny  to  pay  for  it.  The 
clerk  opened  a  drawer  and  took  out  a  pistol. 


86        RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

The  tramp  started  back  with  fright,  saying, 
" What's  that?"  The  clerk  said,  "It's  a 
pistol,  and  if  you  don't  pay  for  that  dinner 
I'll  blow  your  head  off."  The  tramp  looked 
relieved,  and  said,  "Oh!  only  a  pistol;  I 
don't  care  for  that ;  blow  away  ;  I  thought 
it  was  a  stomach-pump." 

On  arriving  home  in  the  early  fall,  we 
began  to  make  preparations  for  turning 
over  the  store  and  house  to  my  brother. 
We  secured  a  part  of  Capt.  Sayre's  house 
for  the  winter,  and  moved  in,  and  in  Octo- 
ber, 1852,  I  gave  up  the  keys  of  my  store 
and  walked  out,  a  retired  merchant ;  of 
course,  retired  only  temporarily. 

I  immediately  turned  my  attention  to 
collecting  and  settling  up  my  business  mat- 
ters in  Cairo.  Went  to  New  York  and 
conferred  with  some  of  my  best  friends 
among  the  merchants  with  whom  I  had 
done  business  many  years. 

I  felt  it  very  important  that  I  should 
make  no  mistake  in  locating  myself  in  busi- 
ness again.  My  preference  was  some  large 
town  or  city  and,  after  much  consideration, 
I  finally  accepted  the  offer  of  Mr.  Richard 
D.  Lathrop,  of  the  firm  of  Lathrop,  Luding- 


REMOVING   TO   NEW    YORK.  87 

ton  &  Co.  He  proposed  that  I  take  his 
nephew,  Charles  D.  Lathrop,  as  a  partner, 
and  lease  a  store  up-town  in  the  city  of 
New  York. 

This  Charles  D.  Lathrop  had  been  in  the 
wholesale  store  of  his  uncle  from  boyhood, 
and  had  worked  his  way  up  to  be  one  of  the 
leading  salesmen.  Mr.  Lathrop  offered,  in 
lieu  of  capital,  which  his  nephew  had  not, 
to  furnish  goods  from  their  wholesale  house 
at  about  cost ;  never  to  exceed  five  per  cent, 
above  cost  on  imported  goods,  while  domes- 
tic goods  would  be  sold  to  us  at  cost.  This 
seemed  to  offer  a  great  advantage,  and, 
beside,  the  connection  with  their  house 
would  be  of  further  advantage  by  way  of 
advertisement,  and  they  would  see  that  our 
credit  was  as  good  as  their  own.  We  drew 
up  the  partnership  papers,  and,  after  look- 
ing around  for  a  location,  decided  upon 
taking  a  lease,  for  five  years,  of  a  store  in 
Bleecker  Street,  to  commence  on  January 
1st,  1853. 

The  capital  of  our  new  enterprise  was 
between  $8,000  and  $9,000  (depending  some- 
what on  my  collections  in  Cairo)  furnished 
entirely  by  myself.  The  style  of  the  firm 


88        RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

was  "  Stevens  &  Lathrop."  After  com- 
pleting my  arrangements,  I  returned  to 
Cairo,  and  soon  after  my  dear  wife  was 
taken  very  ill  with  what  was  called  remit- 
tent, or  forty  day  fever.  Dr.  King  attended 
her.  She  became  extremely  weak,  and  it 
seemed  doubtful  whether  I  could  leave 
her. 

After  New  Year's  she  began  to  feel  a 
little  stronger,  and  insisted  upon  my 
carrying  out  my  arrangement.  I  left  her 
with  a  heavy  heart.  The  children  were 
getting  to  be  quite  helpful,  the  eldest, 
Marion,  being  then  just  eleven  years  old, 
and  a  little  woman  a-bout  the  house. 

I  came  to  New  York  and  spent  several 
weeks  arranging  the  store,  painting  and 
getting  ready  for  business,  and  early  in 
February  we  put  in  a  fine  general  assort- 
ment of  dry  goods. 

I  had  not  decided  on  a  house,  though  I 
had  several  in  view.  My  wife  was  desirous, 
as  I  was,  before  deciding  this  question, 
to  come  and  see  for  herself.  Having  gained 
sufficient  strength  she  wrote  me  she  would 
come  to  the  city,  and  see  the  different 
houses  I  had  looked  at. 


REMOVING   TO   NEW    YORK.  89 

The  rent  seemed  a  pretty  heavy  item  for 
us,  the  success  of  the  business  being  uncer- 
tain. 

The  store  that  we  had  leased,  included 
the  second  floor,  consisting  of  three  or  four 
rooms,  which  had  been  occupied  as  living 
rooms  by  the  previous  occupants  of  the 
store.  I  had  not  expected  to  use  this  floor 
except  for  storage. 

My  practical  wife,  when  she  came  to  look 
at  the  houses  and  consider  the  rent  and 
expense  of  furnishing,  while  these  rooms 
were  comparatively  unused,  advised  it  was 
by  far  the  best  to  commence  living  there.  We 
therefore  had  these  rooms  painted,  papered 
and  put  in  order,  sofa-beds  and  conven- 
iences for  living,  making  it  much  more 
comfortable  than  I  expected  we  could. 

She  went  back  home,  but  did  not  gain 
strength  as  we  hoped,  and  when  I  went  to 
Cairo,  to  move  the  family  to  the  city,  the 
first  of  May,  I  found  her  scarcely  able  to  sit 
up,  and  under  the  doctor's  care. 

She  was,  however,  brave,  and  our  plans 
having  been  made,  she  was  very  anxious  to 
go  at  the  appointed  time.  We  had  a  Cairo 
girl  engaged  to  go  with  us  as  a  servant. 


90    RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

With  many  misgivings  I  provided  an 
easy  carriage,  and  we  started  one  beautiful 
morning,  early  in  May,  1853,  for  onr  new 
home  in  the  great  city. 

She  tried  to  encourage  the  children  and 
myself  to  think  she  was  well  enough  to 
stand  the  journey,  but  it  soon  became 
evident  she  was  not. 

We  called  at  the  house  of  her  cousin,  Mr. 
Daniel  Rugg,  in  Catskill,  to  rest  before 
going  to  the  boat;  but  we  all  felt,  as  she  did 
herself,  that  it  was  not  prudent  to  tax  her 
strength  any  further,  and  at  their  kind 
invitation,  and  indeed  urgent  solicitation, 
it  was  finally  decided  for  her  to  remain  with 
them  until  she  got  stronger. 

With  heavy  hearts  we  bade  her  good  bye. 
It  was  a  sad  parting  for  all  of  us;  we  all 
tried  to  cheer  each  other,  though  it  seemed 
there  was  scarcely  a  silver  lining  to  the 
dark  cloud  that  hung  over  us. 

The  three  children,  myself  and  the  girl, 
came  on  the  night  boat  to  the  city.  We  went, 
for  a  few  days,  to  the  house  where  I  had 
boarded,  until  we  got  the  rooms  in  order 
and  partly  settled.  Meantime  every  mail 
brought  letters  rather  encouraging  about 


BUSINESS   INCIDENTS.  91 

my  wife.  We  were  hoping  she  would  be  able 
to  be  with  us  in  a  week  or  two,  when  one 
morning  a  carriage  drove  up  and  brought 
her  unexpected.  She  felt  she  could  not  be 
separated  from  us  any  longer;  that  she 
must  be  with  us  to  direct  and  do  what  she 
could  in  getting  things  in  order. 

We  were  all  delighted,  of  course,  and  so 
thankful  to  have  her  with  us,  even  though 
unable  to  render  us  any  assistance. 

I  immediately  called  Dr.  Kinsley,  who 
was  highly  recommended.  He  carefully 
diagnosed  her  case  and  gave  us  great 
encouragement  to  hope  for  her  speedy 
recovery. 

She  did  improve,  and  for  a  year  after  en- 
joyed better  health.  She  was,  however,  never 
well  after  this  ;  only  her  indomitable  deter- 
mination and  heroic  courage  kept  her  up. 

We  lived  quite  comfortably  in  our  rooms 
over  the  store,  and  never  regretted  starting 
in  that  way.  Indeed  it  was  part  of  the 
religion  of  us  both,  never  to  incur  any 
expense  until  we  felt  sure  we  were  able  to 
do  so,  and  it  was  well  in  this  case  we  did 
not,  as  the  business  did  not  prove  a  success. 

It  did  not  take  very  long,  after  we  got 


92         RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A    LIFETIME. 

settled  and  fairly  started,  before  I  began  to 
feel  I  had  made  a  mistake.  My  partner 
had  never  had  any  experience  in  a  retail 
store,  and  his  experience  in  a  wholesale 
house  was  no  benefit  to  us  in  the  retail 
business.  Business  was  conducted  so 
different,  that  my  experience  in  a  country 
store  was  not  much  benefit  to  me. 

We  had  a  bright  young  man  as  clerk, 
used  to  city  trade,  but  his  methods  were 
such  I  could  not  approve.  He  was  un- 
scrupulous, indeed  dishonest,  though  he 
insisted  it  was  the  only  way  business  in  the 
city  could  be  done  successfully.  He  would 
have  several  prices  for  the  same  grade  of 
goods,  taking  for  granted  that  a  lady 
would  always  be  willing  to  pay  a  little 
more  to  get  the  best  article,  and,  as  a  rule, 
a  lady  would  judge  the  article  by  its  price, 
and  the  salesman  could  generally  mislead  a 
customer. 

I  could  not  tolerate  this  way  of  doing 
business,  and  changed  clerks  until  I 
thought  I  found  one  who  believed  that 
honesty  was  the  best  policy. 

Very  soon  after  this  the  methods  in  all 
large  city  retail  stores  was  changed. 


BUSINESS   INCIDENTS.  93 

Mr.  A.  T.  Stewart  started  and  set  the 
example,  to  have  one  price  marked  in  plain 
figures  and  no  deviation.  Strange,  this  had 
not  been  adopted  long  before.  Lying, 
cheating,  and  deception  had  been  the  rule 
previous  to  this  ;  but,  thereafter,  when  this 
method  became  established,  a  child  could 
go  and  buy  goods  as  safely  as  an  ex- 
perienced person,  as  far  as  price  was 
concerned. 

Although  our  expenses  were  not  large, 
yet  the  business  was  unsuccessful  from  the 
beginning. 

On  taking  account  of  stock  at  the  end  of 
the  first  year,  it  became  apparent  we  were 
running  behind,  and  six  months  thereafter 
we  felt  sure  it  was  only  a  question  of  time, 
if  we  continued,  when  we  could  not  pay 
our  debts.  After  several  confidential  inter- 
views with  Mr.  Richard  Lathrop,  it  was 
finally  decided  best  to  take  steps  towards 
winding  up  the  business. 

We  advertised  to  sell  our  lease  and 
goods,  had  several  applications,  and  finally 
closed  a  bargain  with  a  Mr.  Davidson  to 
take  our  lease  off  our  hands,  and  whatever 
goods  we  had  left  on  the  first  of  January, 


94    RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

1855,    at    75    cents    on    the  dollar  of  cost 
price. 

This  gave  us  about  two  months'  time 
to  run  our  stock  down,  and,  as  the  time 
drew  near,  we  had  auction  sales  evenings, 
so  that  when  we  turned  our  stock  over  to 
Mr.  Davidson  it  consisted  mostly  of  rem- 
nants, so  that  we  considered  we  got  about 
full  value  for  our  stock. 

The  two  years'  experience  in  the  retail 
business  in  the  city  are  not  years  which  I 
can  look  back  to  with  pleasure. 

My  wife's  health  broke  down  again  the 
second  year,  and  it  was  decided  that  she 
try  what  was  then  considered  the  best  thing 
for  weak  and  run-down  women,  the  water 
cure.  We  were  afterward  convinced  it  was 
not  the  best  for  her  ;  but  we  felt  we  must  do 
something,  and  this,  at  the  time,  seemed 
best. 

We  took  the  three  children  to  my 
brother's  house  near  Gilboa,  where  they 
had  the  best  of  care  on  a  farm  ;  and  my 
wife  went  to  a  water  cure,  at  Northampton, 
Mass.,  called  "Round  Hill,"  for  the 
summer. 

The  rest  and  country  air,  no  doubt,  was 


CHANGE   OF   BUSINESS.  95 

beneficial  and  she  did  improve  ;  but  as  for 
the  water  cure  and  treatment,  it  was  all 
a  fallacy. 

It  was,  beside,  an  expensive  experiment 
and  a  great  sacrifice,  involving  as  it  did, 
separation  from  each  other  and  from  the 
children,  breaking  up  our  home  in  the  city, 
and  to  make  it  seem  worse  to  me,  day  after 
day  I  felt  my  little  capital  was  diminish- 
ing, business  running  behind,  and  time 
rapidly  drawing  near  when  I  could  not  pay 
my  debts.  I  shall  never  forget  the  miser- 
ies of  that  summer.  But  all  things  have 
an  end,  and,  as  I  have  said,  the  business  was 
closed  up  at  the  end  of  that  year. 

Before  the  year  expired,  however,  I  had 
made  arrangments  to  go  with  the  house  of 
Lathrop,  Ludington  &  Co.,  as  general  sales- 
man, to  commence  on  the  first  of  January, 
1855,  on  a  salary  of  $1,000  the  first  year. 
We  rented  a  cottage  in  West  48th  street, 
and  moved  in.  At  that  time  this  was  quite 
out,  almost  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city. 

I  began  immediately  in  my  new  vocation, 
and  commenced  hunting  up  customers 
among  all  my  mercantile  acquaintances  and 
as  many  new  ones  as  possible.  Salaries 


96    RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

were  based  on  the  amount  a  salesman  -could 
sell. 

The  firm  paid  travelling  expenses  and 
salesmen  were  expected  to  travel  during 
the  dull  season,  a  couple  of  months  in  the 
winter  and  a  few  weeks  in  the  summer, 
drumming  up  trade. 

I  happened  to  have  quite  a  large  acquaint- 
ance among  country  merchants,  quite  a 
number  of  relatives,  and  these  not  only 
gave  me  their  custom,  but  influenced  their 
friends  also,  to  buy  their  goods  of  me.  Some 
of  my  acquaintances  were  already  customers 
of  the  house,  but  were  kindly  turned  over 
to  me  as  my  customers. 

My  trade  increased;  I  made  new  custom- 
ers, and  held  my  old  ones.  Merchants 
seemed  to  give  me  their  confidence.  My 
experience  as  a  country  merchant,  in  buying 
goods,  was  of  great  benefit  to  me  as  well 
as  to  my  customers.  I  was  careful  never  to 
urge  a  merchant  to  buy  more  than  I 
believed  for  his  interest  to  buy;  I  never 
deceived  him  or  misrepresented  the  goods. 
I  tried  to  gain  the  confidence  of  my  custom- 
ers by  fair  dealing,  and  it  is  very  gratify- 
ing to  think  my  business  acquaintances 


CHANGE   OF   BUSINESS.  97 

remained  my  personal  friends.  I  never  for- 
got my  lesson  in  buying  my  first  goods  in 
New  York,  when  that  successful  merchant 
prince,  Edward  Corning,  waited  on  me 
and  gave  me  practical  lessons  in  the  art  of 
selling  goods.  It  is  a  good  rule  to  have  in 
mind,  either  real  or  imaginary,  some  model 
as  near  perfection  as  possible  to  follow,  to 
think  of  that  model,  and  then  try  to  be 
that. 

This  man,  whom  I  may  speak  of  again,  was 
a  model,  as  a  merchant,  a  business  man  and 
Christian  gentleman  ;  one  whom  any  man 
might  be  proud  to  follow. 

I  tried  to  look  out  for  the  interest  of  my 
patrons  equally  with  my  own  interest  or 
that  of  my  employers.  I  believed  this  to 
be  the  best  policy,  and  best  for  all  parties. 

From  the  start  I  determined  to  make  my 
services  indispensable  to  the  firm.  I  don't 
think  I  was  naturally  lazy,  and  I  felt  it 
necessary  to  exert  every  faculty  to  the 
utmost  to  make  success  sure.  I  was 
always,  as  a  rule,  at  the  store  early  in  the 
morning,  and  remained  as  long  as  there 
was  work  to  be  done.  In  the  business 
season  it  was  often  eleven  and  twelve 


98        RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

o'clock  at  night  before  I  left ;  then  riding 
an  hour  on  the  horse  car,  often  falling 
asleep,  being  tired  out,  and  carried  half  a 
dozen  blocks  beyond  my  street  to  the  car 
stables,  unless  the  conductor  was  thought- 
ful enough  to  wake  me.  Then  would  be  up 
to  breakfast  and  back  to  the  store  before 
eight  o'clock. 

A  less  strong  constitution  than  I  was 
blessed  with  could  not  have  stood  the 
strain. 

It  was  customary,  in  those  days,  for  each 
salesman  when  he  got  through  with  his 
customer,  to  truck  his  goods  to  the  packing 
room  himself,  sort  them  out,  and  when 
entered,  call  them  back.  If  he  had 
customers  to  keep  him  busy  during  the 
day,  as  he  usually  had  in  the  business 
season,  he  would  have  to  do  this  trucking 
goods  at  night,  hence  the  night  work 
spoken  of. 

A  few  years  later,  all  this  was  changed  ; 
elevators  were  put  in,  porters  employed  to 
run  the  goods  to  the  packing  room,  and  the 
salesman's  duty  ended  when  he  had  sold 
the  goods  and  entered  the  tills  and  depart- 
ments in  the  till  book. 


BUSINESS   PROSPECTS.  99 

After  being  in  the  store  a  few  weeks,  to 
become  a  little  familiar  with  the  stock  and 
prices,  I  took  a  trip  West  to  Chicago  and 
other  western  cities,  making  new  acquaint- 
ances, returning  in  time  for  the  opening  of 
spring  trade. 

My  sales  were  successful  the  first  year 
beyond  my  expectation.  The  firm  increased 
my  salary  to  $1,500  the  second  year,  and 
advanced  each  year,  until  my  salary 
reached  $2,500.  Then  the  great  political 
excitement  came  in  '59  and  '60;  business 
men  became  fearful,  civil  war  was  threaten- 
ed, all  business  was  contracted,  expenses 
curtailed,  and  salaries  greatly  reduced, 
many  thrown  out  of  employment.  I  believe 
I  was  the  only  salesman  in  the  house  whose 
salary  was  not  materially  reduced.  My 
salary  was  not  reduced,  nor  did  I  ask,  or 
expect  any  increase  ;  it  remained  the  same 
for  a  year  or  two,  until  I  had  it  changed  to 
a  commission. 


100      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 


LETTER  VII. 
MY  DEAR  H.— 

After  some  two  years  and  a  half  in  the 
wholesale  trade,  the  panic  of  1857  came  on. 
It  came  suddenly,  as  panics  usually  do,  and 
the  country  was  unprepared  for  it. 

It  was  a  fearful  time  for  business  men. 
Banks  generally  suspended  or  failed. 
Exchange  from  western  cities  rose  to  ten 
and  fifteen  per  cent.,  and  on  western  bank 
bills  there  was  a  still  greater  discount ;  it 
was  impossible  to  collect. 

Many  houses  failed,  and  the  best  and 
strongest  houses  had  all  they  could  do  to 
pull  through.  In  October  of  that  year  the 
firm  desired  me  to  travel  through  the 
western  states,  to  collect  and  secure 
doubtful  debts,  to  compromise  with  bank- 
rupts, to  ascertain  the  standing  of  their 
customers,  and  look  after  their  business 
generally. 

I  left  home,  as  I  said,  in  October ;  went 
directly  to  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  Dubuque, 
Peoria  and  to  almost  every  city  and  large 


PANIC   OF   1857.  101 

town  in  the  West,  and  did  not  return  until 
Christmas  eve. 

I  had  not  expected  to  be  absent  more 
than  a  month  ;  but  being  in  constant  com- 
munication with  the  lirm,  they  kept  me 
advised  by  letter  and  telegrams  of  real  or 
anticipated  failures  requiring  immediate 
attention,  often  hundreds  of  miles  apart, 
involving  much  night  travel. 

I  was  given  carte-blanche  to  secure  or 
compromise  and  make  settlements,  as  I  con- 
cluded each  case  required  ;  to  find  out  the 
condition  of  each  customer. 

Failures  all  over  the  country  were  of  daily 
occurrence  ;  confidence  was  shaken  ;  every- 
body distrusted  everybody  else. 

It  was  a  very  responsible  mission,  and  I 
felt,  of  course,  great  anxiety ;  many  thou- 
sands of  dollars  were  at  stake. 

I  adopted  a  plan  of  my  own  which,  I  am 
sure,  indeed,  I  demonstrated  it  to  be  more 
successful  than  any  other. 

Instead  of  going  to  a  merchant  as  though 
I  believed  he  was  about  to  abscond  or  do 
something  dishonest,  I  made  him  feel  that 
I  was  his  friend.  I  did  not  pretend  this 
merely,  but  did  feel  real  sympathy  for 


102   EECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

these  men,  most  of  whom  were  in  the  same 
boat,  struggling  with  adversity. 

I  put  myself  in  their  place,  and  thought : 
uWhat  would  I  do  under  like  circum- 
stances ? "  I  generally  got  their  confidence, 
and  drew  from  them  a  full  statement  of 
their  condition. 

Of  course,  I  did  not  forget  the  business 
maxim,  and  I  believe  it  is  a  rule  of  law  as 
well,  that  a  diligent  creditor  may  reap  the 
benefit  of  his  diligence.  With  an  insolvent 
debtor,  I  looked  out  for  my  own  claim  first, 
in  preference  to  other  creditors,  but  was 
always  candid  with  the  debtor,  and  tried  to 
give  him  the  best  advice  I  could  to  help 
him  out  of  his  difficulties. 

Experience  is  a  good  school-master,  and  I 
learned,  while  coming  in  contact  with  these 
business  men,  how  much  better  it  was  to 
have  their  good-will,  their  confidence,  than 
to  arouse  antagonism,  and  make  them  feel 
I  was  trying  to  get  the  best  of  them. 

Of  course  there  were  dishonest  men  I  had 
to  deal  with.  I  could  generally  tell,  how- 
ever, by  a  little  maneuvering,  what  the 
intentions  of  these  men  were.  If  I  sus- 
pected they  were  trying  to  cover  up  their 


TRIP   TO   THE   WEST.  103 

affairs,  or  get  the  best  of  their  creditors,  I 
would  deal  with  them  accordingly. 

I  will  mention  one  or  two  incidents  going 
to  show  the  different  phases  of  human 
nature. 

I  found  a  merchant  of  Chicago,  a  Mr. 
Jones,  who  owed  our  firm  §2,500.  He  had 
made  an  assignment  and  preferred  credi- 
tors enough  to  cover  his  entire  assets. 
Some  New  York  creditors  had  attached  his 
stock,  and  were  trying  to  break  the 
assignment. 

I  followed  my  plan  of  trying  mildness 
and  suavity,  rather  than  threats  and  anger, 
and  got  him  to  give  me  a  statement  of  his 
affairs.  I  believed  it  was  a  case  tinctured 
with  fraud.  I  saw  his  lawyer  who  was  one 
of  the  sharpest  in  Chicago  ;  retained  him  to 
look  after  our  interest  in  case  the  assign- 
ment which  he  was  defending  should  be 
broken,  as  I  believed  it  would  be. 

I  found  out  that  Jones'  wife  had  means 
separate  from  her  husband,  and  advised 
him  and  his  lawyer  to  come  to  New  York 
and  try  to  get  a  compromise  with  the 
creditors  rather  than  fight  them  in  the 
courts. 


104   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

I  offered  to  help  them  all  I  could  ;  they 
were  thankful,  and  partly  promised  to  do 
so.  I  informed  them  when  I  expected  to 
be  home,  after  Christmas. 

I  had  not  been  back  long,  before  Mr. 
Jones  and  his  lawyer  called  to  see  me  ;  they 
had  come  on  to  try  to  settle  by  paying,  I 
believe,  some  25  per  cent. 

I  privately  advised  our  firm  not  to  accept, 
nor  to  positively  refuse,  but  wait  till  they 
had  seen  other  creditors. 

In  a  day  or  two  Mr.  Jones,  with  his  law- 
yer, came  in  the  store  accompanied  by  a 
deputy  sheriff  who  had  arrested  him  for 
fraud  on  the  complaint  of  a  creditor. 

He  was  to  be  taken  to  Eldridge  street  jail 
unless  he  could  procure  bail  for  $5,000,  and 
came  to  me  for  help. 

I  took  Mr.  Jones  and  his  lawyer  into  a 
private  office,  and  with  both  Mr.  Lathrop 
and  Mr.  Ludington,  talked  over  the  matter. 
His  lawyer  thought  it  was  no  case  for  arrest, 
and  was  sure  he  would  get  clear  on  trial, 
but  must  have  bail  or  go  to  jail. 

Mr.  Jones  finally  admitted  he  had  securi- 
ties with  him,  which  he  would  put  up  to 
secure  the  bail,  and  proceeded  to  partly 


BUSINESS    INCIDENTS.  105 

disrobe,  and  took  off  a  belt  containing 
bonds  and  diamonds,  which  he  said  belonged 
to  his  wife,  and  were  worth  over  $5,000. 

This  belt  and  contents  was  finally  given  to 
me  for  safe  keeping  as  security,  and  bail  was 
furnished,  Mr.  Green  and  myself  going  on 
the  bond.  Mr.  Jones  agreed  to  remain  in 
New  York  until  the  warrant  proceedings 
were  decided,  and  for  fear  of  further  arrest, 
he  took  board  at  a  private  house,  near 
Harlem,  where  he  was  to  remain  secreted 
until  the  matter  was  settled.  His  lawyer, 
Stewart  by  name,  returned  to  Chicago, 
leaving  Mr.  Jones'  case  in  the  hands  of  the 
lawyer  acting  for  Lathrop,  Ludington  & 
Co. 

In  a  few  days,  thereafter,  followed  a  course 
of  proceeding  by  this  lawyer  which  flavored 
so  strongly  of  sharp  practice  that  I  remon- 
strated and  protested,  believing  it  to  be  a 
breach  of  faith  and  trust ;  but  our  lawyer 
believed  Mr.  Jones  to  be  a  swindler ;  that 
his  intention  was  to  beat  us  as  well  as  the 
rest,  and  he  went  ahead. 

He  procured  an  attachment,  and  had  it 
served  on  me  for  the  securities  placed  in  my 
hands,  which  I  was  obliged  to  deliver  up, 


106   KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

and  they  were  seized  for  the  debt  which 
Jones  owed  our  firm. 

He  then  had  the  bail-bond  released  and 
Mr.  Jones  delivered  up  to  the  sheriff  and 
locked  up  in  Eldridge  Street  jail. 

This  seemed  to  me  a  dishonorable  thing 
to  do,  and  I  protested  and  urged  our  firm 
not  to  do  it ;  but  they  said  it  was  in  the 
hands  of  their  lawyer,  and  they  were  acting 
under  his  advice. 

I  visited  Mr.  Jones  in  jail  as  often  as  1 
could  ;  assured  him  of  my  sympathy.  He 
at  once  sent  for  his  wife.  I  invited  her  to 
my  house,  and  assisted  her  in  securing  a 
boarding  place  near  the  jail,  where  she 
could  see  her  husband  frequently,  the  rules 
of  Eldridge  Street  jail  being  not  so  strict  as 
other  prisons. 

Mr.  Lathrop,  himself,  regretted  what 
had  been  done,  and,  personally,  con- 
tributed towards  paying  Mrs.  Jones'  ex- 
penses. 

The  firm,  however,  secured  their  claim  in 
full.  Some  friends  of  Mrs.  Jones'  redeemed 
the  securities  and  paid  the  debt  with 
interest  and  costs. 

I  believe  Jones  finally  got  a  settlement 


BUSINESS    INCIDENTS.  107 

with    his    creditors,    paying  a    small    per- 
centage of  their  claims. 

I  will  mention  another  case.  We  had  a 
customer  by  name  of  Kelly,  at  Milledge- 
ville,  in  Carroll  County,  Illinois,  who  owed 
us  near  $3,000.  I  went  there  and  found 
another  man,  his  brother-in-law,  in  posses- 
sion who  said  he  had  bought  out  the  stock 
and  paid  for  it,  and  that  Kelly  had  moved 
his  family  and  himself  to  Canada.  After 
making  further  inquiries,  I  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  whole  transaction  was  a 
fraud. 

The  hotel  proprietor  gave  me  further 
information.  He  said  Kelly  had  been  in  the 
habit  of  coming  to  his  brother-in-law's 
house  on  Saturday  nights,  and  staying  till 
Monday  morning,  and  believed  he  would 
come  that  night,  it  being  Saturday. 

There  was  no  lawyer  in  the  place,  nor 
nearer  than  Mt.  Carroll,  the  county  seat, 
some  18  miles  distant.  Acting  upon  the 
information  the  hotel  keeper  had  given  me, 
I  determined  to  go  to  Mt.  Carroll  and  get  a 
warrant  for  his  arrest.  There  was  a  deputy 
sheriff  residing  at  Milledgeville.  I  had  my 
horse  brought  up,  bade  the  landlord  good- 


108      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

by ;  nobody  suspected  where  I  was  going, 
only  the  landlord  who  was  in  the  secret.  I 
had  to  make  a  confidant  of  him  to  get  his 
assistance. 

I  returned  to  the  hotel  at  midnight,  after 
a  horseback  ride  of  36  miles,  a  pretty  tired 
and  sore  man.  The  landlord  had  kept 
watch,  and  Kelly  had  not  come.  I  kept 
close  in  my  room  all  day  Sunday,  and  the 
landlord  kept  watch,  but  Kelly  did  not 
make  his  appearance. 

On  Monday  I  rode  to  Sterling,  some  12 
miles  in  Whiteside  County,  where  the  land- 
lord said  Kelly  had  been  seen  the  week 
before,  and  thought  he  might  be  at  the 
hotel  there. 

Before  going,  however,  I  saw  the  deputy 
sheriff  and  gave  him  the  order  of  arrest, 
with  instructions  to  keep  a  sharp  look  out 
for  Kelly,  and  if  he  came  to  the  place,  to 
arrest  him  at  once,  and  either  take  him  to 
jail  or  get  bail,  and  I  would  be  back  in  a 
day  or  two,  all  of  which  he  promised. 

The  only  thing  now  was  to  find  Kelly. 
Sterling  was  in  another  county,  and  my 
purpose  was,  if  I  found  him,  to  induce  him 
to  go  to  Milledgeville. 


BUSINESS   INCIDENTS.  109 

As  I  was  riding  into  the  village  of 
Sterling  I  met  Mr.  Kelly  on  the  road, 
knew  him  by  sight,  expressed  sympathy 
for  his  misfortunes ;  told  him  I  was  trav- 
eling through  the  country  to  see  how 
our  customers  were  standing  the  hard 
times ;  sorry  he  had  gone  out  of  busi- 
ness, but  hoped  he  would  soon  be  all 
right  again.  He  talked  about  a  settle- 
ment if  his  creditors  would  compromise 
for  about  10  cents  on  the  dollar,  if  his 
brother-in-law,  to  whom  he  had  sold  out, 
would  indorse  his  notes.  He  said  he 
expected  to  be  in  Milledgeville  in  a  few 
days,  and  would  meet  me  there  if  I  would 
settle  on  those  terms. 

I  told  him  I  had  to  see  some  parties 
and  would  go  back  to  Milledgeville  next 
day,  and  proposed  that  he  ride  my  horse 
that  night,  and  I  would  come  next  day,  as 
my  horseback  riding  had  about  used  me  up. 

He  fell  into  the  trap  and  I  saw  him  off, 
headed  for  Milledgeville.  After  supper  and 
late  in  the  evening,  as  I  wanted  the  sheriff 
to  have  ample  time  to  see  Kelly,  I  went  to 
a  livery  and  took  a  buggy  and  driver  for 
Milledgeville,  arriving  there  at  midnight. 


110   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

I  knew  I  was  dealing  with  a  sharp  rascal 
and  made  up  my  mind  to  trap  him  if  I 
could.  There  had  been  a  light  fall  of  snow 
during  the  evening,  but  had  cleared  off. 
The  landlord  had  seen  Kelly  come.  He  had 
brought  the  horse  to  him  as  directed,  and 
he  was  sitting  up  expecting  me.  He  had 
watched  the  sheriff's  house,  and  said  the 
sheriff  was  still  up,  as  the  lights  had  not 
been  put  out. 

I  immediately  went  to  the  sheriff's  house  ; 
he  was  up ;  said  he  knew  Kelly  had  come 
and  was  at  his  brother-in-law's  house ; 
but  he  thought  he  would  not  arrest  him 
until  morning,  and  then  take  him  directly 
to  the  county  seat  and  jail. 

I  did  not  like  this  delay.  The  deputy- 
sheriff  said  he  would  go  and  arrest  him  at 
once,  if  I  said  so.  I  did  say  so,  and  we 
both  went  to  the  house.  He  knocked,  a 
light  was  struck,  and  he  was  admitted.  I 
remained  outside  keeping  watch.  He  came 
out  and  said  Kelly  was  up-stairs  dressing, 
and  I  had  better  come  in  as  it  was  cold.  I 
declined,  preferring  to  watch  the  only  other 
door  by  which  he  could  escape,  and  a  cellar 
door  on  the  same  side  of  the  house. 


BUSINESS    INCIDENTS.  Ill 

After  a  long  time,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  the 
sheriff  came  out  and  asked  if  I  had  been 
around  on  the  other  side  of  the  house.  I 
said  no;  I  had  been  where  I  could  see  the 
front  door  and  the  cellar  door.  Then  he 
said,  "  Kelly  has  skipped."  He  said  he  had 
seen  somebody  pass  a  window  on  the  other 
side  of  the  house. 

We  went  around  there,  and  sure  enough, 
footprints  in  the  new  fallen  snow  leading 
from  the  window  out  to  the  cattle  yard, 
and  then  across  the  prairie,  was  evidence 
enough  that  our  bird  had  flown. 

It  was  very  evident,  too,  that  the  sheriff 
had  been  in  collusion  and  let  him  escape. 

He  pretended  to  feel  badly  about  it, 
and  as  the  morning  light  began  to  grow, 
and  the  snow  having  stopped  falling,  we 
could  easily  follow  his  tracks  across  the 
prairie. 

We  followed  the  trail  two  miles  to  a  farm 
house;  found  he  had  only  stopped  there  a 
moment  to  try  to  get  a  horse  to  go  to  Mt. 
Carroll,  but  did  not  succeed. 

We  followed  him  a  mile  further  or  more, 
and  found  he  had  again  tried  to  get  a  horse 
for  the  same  purpose.  The  sheriff  refused 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

to  follow  any  further,  but  said  he  would  go 
back  home  and  get  his  horse  and  ride  to 
Mt.  Carroll,  and  might  meet  or  find  him 
there.  I  continued  alone  on  the  trail. 
About  half  way  to  Mt.  Carroll,  I  should 
say  eight  or  ten  miles  from  where  we 
started,  I  found  he  had  procured  a  horse, 
and  had  half  an  hour's  start  of  me. 

The  ranchman  had  two  other  horses,  and 
was  willing  to  let  me  have  one  and  he  take 
the  other  and  follow  Kelly. 

When  I  told  him  he  was  fleeing  from  the 
sheriff,  both  himself  and  wife  expressed  a 
fear  that  their  horse  would  not  come  back, 
which  fear  I  did  not  attempt  to  allay. 

While  the  horses  were  being  brought 
out,  I  swallowed  a  hasty  breakfast  (the  fam- 
ily having  just  finished),  which,  I  remem- 
ber, consisted  of  corn  or  rye  coffee  (luke- 
warm), cornbread,  fried  pork  (cold),  and 
pumpkin  pie  ;  but,  after  my  night' s  travel 
and  morning  race,  my  appetite  was  equal 
to  any  kind  of  a  breakfast,  and  I  enjoyed  it. 

The  good  woman  wanted  to  prepare  me 
a  better  breakfast,  but  my  time  was  too 
precious. 

Kelly  had  taken  the  only  saddle,  and  I 


BUSINESS   INCIDENTS.  113 

had  to  be  satisfied  with  a  sheep  skin  in  lieu, 
and  the  back  of  my  horse  was  very  sharp. 

The  ranchman's  horse  was  an  unbroken 
colt,  and  he  preferred  to  ride  bareback. 

We  rode  along  until  we  approached  the 
village  where  I  dismounted,  the  ranchman 
leading  my  horse. 

Keeping  my  eyes  open,  I  discovered 
Kelly  among  a  group  of  men  in  front  of 
the  principal  hotel ;  it  being  court  week  an 
unusual  number  of  men  had  gathered. 

He  saw  me  before  I  got  very  near  him 
and  instantly  started  on  a  run  down  a  side 
street  and  up  a  steep  hill,  I  followed  about 
fifty  feet  behind,  both  on  a  full  run. 

This  narrow  street  seemed  to  end  at  the 
wide  open  door  of  a  brewery  ;  a  dense  steam 
coming  out  of  the  door  hid  from  view 
everything  within.  I  rushed  in  calling 
loudly,  "hello!  hello!"  A  man  came 
forward  out  of  the  steam.  I  told  him  I  was 
after  a  criminal,  whom  I  had  chased  to 
the  door  and  he  must  have  gone  in.  He 
said  nobody  had  come  in  there. 

I  searched  the  place  and  all  the  build- 
ings in  the  vicinity,  and  every  hiding  place 
I  could  find,  a  crowd  of  men  and  boys 


114      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

following,  all  wanting  to  know  what  was 
the  matter.  I  had  no  time  to  explain, 
only  that  the  man  was  escaping  from 
arrest. 

I  finally  had  to  give  up  the  search  and 
go  back  to  the  hotel. 

By  this  time  I  was  about  used  up  ;  my 
clothing,  even  to  my  overcoat,  was  drenched 
with  perspiration.  I  sat  down  in  the 
barroom,  began  to  feel  dizzy  and  faint. 
A  man  came  to  me  with  a  glass  of  brandy, 
bathed  my  face  and  head  with  cold  water, 
helped  me  off  with  my  overcoat  and 
assisted  me  to  the  sitting  room  to  a 
lounge. 

The  hotel  keeper  also  was  very  kind,  as 
was  the  whole  crowd. 

I  explained  to  them  the  situation,  and 
that  Deputy  Sheriff  Johnson  was  on  the 
way  with  the  order  of  arrest.  I  believed 
Kelly  was  in  hiding  not  very  far  off,  and 
offered  twenty-five  dollars  to  any  one  to 
find  him. 

A  general  search  began  immediately,  and 
it  was  not  long  before  I  heard  a  shout : 
"  He' s  found  !  He' s  found  !  "  My  strength 
came  back  at  once,  and  I  was  out  in  the 


BUSINESS   INCIDENTS.  115 

midst  of  the  crowd,  and  sure  enough  they 
had  Kelly. 

The  sheriff  of  the  county  joined  the 
crowd  and  took  charge  of  Kelly,  and  we  all 
marched  to  the  court  house.  We  went  into 
a  vacant  room  and  closed  the  door,  locking 
out  the  crowd. 

I  explained  to  the  sheriff  the  situation;  he 
took  me  aside  and  said  he  had  no  authority 
to  keep  him  a  moment.  I  assured  him 
that  his  deputy,  Johnson,  was  on  the  way 
with  the  warrant,  and  might  be  expected 
any  moment,  and  that  he  must  hold  Kelly 
until  he  arrived.  I  told  him,  also,  my  belief 
that  his  deputy  was  in  collusion  with  Kelly 
to  let  him  escape. 

While  we  were  talking  I  kept  looking 
out  of  the  window,  watching  for  Johnson; 
and  to  my  great  relief  he  soon  came  in 
sight,  riding  slowly  up  the  hill  towards  the 
court  house. 

Though  I  felt  very  angry  at  him,  I  never 
was  so  glad  to  see  any  man  before  in  my  life. 
He  came  in  and  I  could  not  contain  myself 
any  longer;  my  pent  up  anger  and  excite- 
ment burst  out.  In  the  presence  of  the 
sheriff,  I  told  him  what  I  thought  of  him; 


116      KECOLLECTIONS   OF  A   LIFETIME. 

that  he  had  purposely  permitted  Kelly  to 
escape,  and  I  believed  had  assisted  him  out 
of  the  window,  and  given  him  time  to  get  a 
good  start  before  informing  me  of  his 
escape.  I  then  pointed  to  Kelly,  and  said: 
' '  Here  is  your  prisoner,  and  I  hold  your 
bondsmen  for  his  safe-keeping;  I  wouldn't 
trust  you  to  arrest  a  cat."  He  talked  back 
and  so  did  the  sheriff;  but  I  was  in  no 
humor  to  argue,  and  when  I  had  my  say, 
went  back  to  the  hotel. 

I  found  some  boys  had  crawled  under  a 
barn,  and  there  found  Kelly,  who  crawled 
out  the  other  side,  and  started  to  run  when 
a  man  caught  him.  This  man  was  entitled 
to  the  reward,  but  he  generously  waived  it 
and  said  :  "  Open  the  bar  for  the  boys,  and 
that  would  be  sufficient."  This  was  done 
at  an  expense  of  about  $10.  The  deputy- 
sheriff,  after  drinking  a  few  times,  and 
after  dinner,  proposed  that  we  hire  a  double 
team,  and  he,  Kelly  and  myself  go  back 
to  Milledgeville,  as  Kelly  could  get  no 
bondsman  elsewhere.  I  agreed ;  my  horse 
being  there,  I  had  to  go,  and,  if  they  were 
willing,  I  did  not  mind  riding  with  them. 
Johnson  was  pretty  mellow  and  Kelly  not 


BUSINESS   INCIDENTS.  117 

much  behind.  I  was  master  of  the  situa- 
tion, and  felt  pretty  good. 

I  remained  over  night  at  the  tavern  in 
Milledgeville ;  the  whole  village  came  in ; 
I  was  quite  a  lion  there.  The  hotel-keeper 
thought  he  had  a  second  Napoleon  for  a 
guest.  It  was  the  general  belief  that  I  had 
out-generaled  both  the  sheriff  and  Kelly., 

Next  day  the  sheriff  informed  me  that 
Kelly  had  procured  one  bondsman,  and 
thought  he  could  get  another  that  day,  but 
said  Kelly  was  anxious  to  settle.  Before 
I  left  he  and  Kelly  both  came  to  the 
hotel  to  see  me.  Kelly  thought  he  could 
get  his  brother-in-law  to  indorse  notes  and 
pay  us  75  per  cent.  I  had  ascertained  that 
the  brother-in-law  was  perfectly  good,  and 
agreed  to  take  notes  for  three  and  six 
months ;  but  it  must  be  for  the  whole 
amount,  interest  and  costs  ;  and  I  would  be 
at  my  brother-in-law's  house  in  Polo  Ogle 
County,  some  twelve  miles  from  Milledge- 
ville, for  three  days.  If,  during  that  time, 
he  wanted  to  pay  or  secure  our  claim,  he 
could  let  me  know ;  otherwise,  I  should 
appear  against  him  and  he  must  take  the 
consequences. 


118   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

Next  day  he  came  to  Polo  on  horseback, 
and  concluded  to  settle  our  claim,  and 
I  met  him  and  his  brother-in-law  next 
day,  at  Stirling,  and  completed  the  settle- 
ment by  his  paying  us  in  full,  and  the 
notes  were  paid  at  maturity. 

I  understood,  afterward,  that  no  other 
creditors  received  one  penny — it  was  a  case 
of  clear  attempted  swindling. 

Without  going  into  details  about  other 
cases,  many  of  them  quite  similar,  I  will 
only  say  that  I  had  many  doubts  and  mis- 
givings, whether  to  believe  in  the  doctrine 
of  ' '  total  depravity' '  or  not.  A  few  such 
cases  (indeed  there  were  quite  a  good  many) 
almost  inclined  me  to  this  belief,  and 
that  every  man  had  his  price;  but,  on  the 
whole,  believe  the  good  overbalances  the 
bad,  and  that  untoward  circumstances 
often  induce  men  to  listen  to  suggestions  of 
the  evil  one,  while  under  ordinary  circum- 
stances they  would  have  remained  loyal  to 
honesty  and  truth. 

While  traveling,  I  fell  in  with  and 
became  acquainted  with  many  commercial 
travelers. 

They  were,   generally,  a  jolly,   free  and 


TKAVELING    INCIDENTS.  119 

easy  set  of  men;  many  of  them  given  to 
drink  and  carousing.  Often,  on  a  Saturday 
night  they  would  get  together  and  have 
what  they  called  a  high  old  time  ;  to  put  it 
mildly,  they  would  get  drunk.  I  am 
thankful  that  I  never  had  any  inclination 
in  that  direction.  It  always  seemed  to  me 
disgraceful  in  the  extreme,  unmanly  and 
bestial.  Many  of  these  commercial 
travelers  came  to  miserable  ends. 

Of  course,  there  were  sterling  men 
engaged  in  this  legitimate  business,  who 
despised  these  dissipations  and  always  kept 
their  garments  unspotted,  and  held  the 
respect  of  their  fellow  men. 

In  those  days,  before  the  Pullmans  were 
thought  of,  or  palace  cars,  the  best  cars 
were  reserved  for  ladies,  and  gentlemen 
accompanied  by  ladies  ;  while  men  unaccom- 
panied by  ladies  had  to  herd  together  in 
poorer  cars  or  go  in  the  smoker. 

For  an  all  night's  ride,  it  was,  therefore, 
quite  an  object  to  get  a  seat  in  a  reserved 
car. 

I  learned  the  ropes,  and  would  generally 
stay  in  the  waiting  room,  until  I  saw  some 
ladies  or  a  party  with  ladies  going  to  the 


120   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

train,  when  I  would  walk  along  with  them, 
and  when  near  the  man  on  guard  would 
say,  uthis  is  the  ladies'  car,"  and  march  in 
with  them,  thus  securing  a  first-class  seat, 
and  often  with  good  company. 

A  commercial  traveler,  if  he  keeps  his 
eyes  and  ears  open,  can  see  and  hear  many 
phases  of  human  nature,  especially  as  it 
existed  in  the  West  at  that  time. 

I  remember  some  incidents,  related  as 
facts,  which  illustrate  the  condition  and 
habits  of  the  people. 

A  judge  in  one  of  the  border  counties 
was  rather  given  to  drink  ;  indeed,  some- 
times got  quite  boozy,  and  when  in  this 
condition  was  very  pious.  He  attended  a 
revival  meeting,  taking  a  front  seat.  The 
preacher  expatiated  on  the  evils  of  intem- 
perance, and  in  an  impassioned  manner 
exclaimed:  "Show  me  the  drunkard." 
To  the  astonishment  of  the  audience,  the 
judge  pulled  himself  up,  and  said,  with  a 
hiccough  :  "Here  I  am."  He  was  not  too 
drunk  to  remember  the  custom  of  the 
court,  requiring  a  criminal  when  receiving 
his  sentence  to  stand  up.  After  the  excite- 
ment had  become  somewhat  allayed,  the 


TRAVELING   INCIDENTS.  121 

preacher,  in  the  same  manner,  excoriated 
the  hypocrite  and  exclaimed:  "  Show  me 
the  hypocrite ! " 

The  judge  again  arose,  and  reaching  over 
with  his  cane  to  the  deacon's  seat,  with  a 
hiccough,  called  out:  "  Deacon  Jones,  why 
the  devil  don't  you  respond  when  you  are 
called?"  uldid." 

Of  course  this  was  too  much,  and  the 
judge's  friends  quietly  got  him  outside 
until  he  sobered  off. 

One  of  these  commercial  travelers,  of 
whom  I  spoke,  one  night  tried  a  new  kind  of 
drink  which  just  touched  the  spot;  it  was 
mint  julep.  He  kept  the  waiter  busy  bring- 
ing him  mint  julep,  and  fearing  he  might 
get  in  a  condition  when  the  waiter  wouldn't 
understand  what  he  wanted,  called  him, 
and  said:  "  Look  here,  waiter,  if  anything 
happens  during  the  night,  and  you  don't 
understand  what  I  want,  keep  bringing  me 
mint  julep." 

A  man  committed  suicide  by  hanging.  His 
wife  was  the  first  one  who  discovered  him. 
The  coroner,  at  the  inquest,  asked  her  why 
she  didn't  cut  him  down;  she  naively  re- 
plied, "  She  didn't  know  that  he  was  dead." 


122      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

A  good  country  parson,  in  a  car,  noticed 
some  young  men  very  hilarious,  one  of  whom 
was  profane  and  loud.  The  parson  went  to 
him,  and  said:  "Young  man,  do  you  not 
know  you  are  on  the  road  to  perdition?" 
The  young  man  looked  up  in  great  surprise, 
and  said:  "On  the  road  to  perdition!  just 
my  confounded  luck,  I  bought  my  ticket 
for  Chicago." 

As  I  said,  this  trip,  during  the  panic  of 
1857,  kept  me  on  the  road  and  under  a  con- 
stant strain,  mentally  and  physically,  for 
nearly  three  months. 

Many  incidents  and  narrow  escapes  from 
imminent  peril  occurred.  A  runaway  of  a 
vicious  team  of  broncoes  on  the  prairie 
smashed  the  wagon,  throwing  me  and  the 
driver  out  on  the  frozen  ground,  bruising 
us  both  badly. 

The  village  doctor,  a  bottle  of  liniment,  a 
little  work  by  a  tailor,  and  a  day  or  two  of 
rest,  repaired  my  damages. 

I  was  in  one  collision,  when  the  baggage 
and  express  cars  were  telescoped  and  three 
men  killed,  several  badly  injured,  while  I 
escaped  without  a  scratch. 

Another  time,  the  rear  car  which  I  was  in 


TRAVELING    INCIDENTS.  123 

jumped  the  track  and  went  bumping  over 
the  ties  ;  it  seemed  to  me  a  mile,  but  prob- 
ably not  a  quarter  that  distance.  We  were 
going  fast,  and  the  passengers  were  shaken 
up  like  corn  in  a  popper — very  exciting 
while  it  lasted,  but  nobody  hurt. 

I  need  not  say  how  glad  I  was  to  get  back 
and  to  see  my  dear  ones  at  home.  My  trip 
had  been  a  successful  one ;  the  firm  were 
more  than  satisfied.  They  gave  me  a  Christ- 
mas present  of  a  suit  of  fine  clothes,  includ- 
ing overcoat,  from  a  Broadway  tailor,  and  to 
my  wife  an  elegant  mink  set  of  furs,  cape, 
muff  and  cuffs — a  beautiful  Christmas  pres- 
ent, which  I  esteemed  highly  as  a  testi- 
monial from  the  firm  of  their  appreciation 
of  my  services. 

In  this  connection  I  will  say,  that  during 
the  fourteen  years  I  remained  with  this 
firm  I  never  received  anything  but  the 
most  gentlemanly  treatment ;  was  always 
on  the  most  cordial  and  friendly  terms  with 
every  member  of  the  firm. 

Mr.  Lathrop,  the  head  of  the  firm,  was  a 
prince  among  men  ;  I  never  knew  his  equal ; 
prosperity  never  elated  him;  he  had  a 
kind  word  for  every  man  and  boy  in  his 


124   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

employ,  from  the  heads  of  departments 
down  to  the  office  boys  and  porters  in  the 
packing  room. 

I  had  especial  reason  for  loving  and 
admiring  him.  On  closing  out  the  retail 
business  of  Stevens  &  Lathrop,  of  which  I 
have  spoken,  Mr.  Lathrop  requested  me  to 
figure  out  the  loss,  and  take  notes  of  his 
nephew,  Charles  D.  Lathrop,  for  his  share 
of  the  loss,  saying  that  sometime  he  might 
be  in  position  to  pay. 

I  did  this,  and  when  the  firm  began  to 
recuperate  somewhat  after  the  panic,  Mr. 
Lathrop  one  day  asked  me  how  much  those 
notes  amounted  to  ;  I  informed  him,  and 
soon  after  he  gave  his  check  for  the  amount, 
some  $1,500.  It  was  a  most  generous  act ; 
entirely  voluntary  on  his  part.  He  was 
under  no  obligation  to  pay  this  or  any  part 
of  it. 

This  Richard  D.  Lathrop  was  the  most 
perfect  Christian  gentleman  I  ever  knew. 
His  charities  were  boundless,  yet  so  unos- 
tentatious, that  his  nearest  friends  seldom 
heard  of  them. 

Many  a  young  man  was  indebted  to  him 
for  his  first  start  in  business. 


RECOVERING   FROM    THE   PANIC.        125 


LETTER  VIII. 
MY  DEAR  H.— 

During  the  years  after  the  panic,  from 
1857  until  the  commencement  of  the  war,  I 
frequently  made  trips  in  different  parts  of 
the  country  to  look  after  what  was  called, 
in  mercantile  parlance,  "  Lame  Ducks." 

The  city  recuperated  from  the  effects  of 
the  panic  sooner  than  the  country  did. 
Many  country  merchants  became  dis- 
couraged, and  felt  like  giving  up.  My 
sympathies  were  with  these  men  who  had 
struggled  hard  to  keep  up,  and  I  look  back 
with  great  satisfaction  to  my  efforts  in  their 
behalf. 

Our  firm  nobly  responded  to  my  inter- 
cession for  them  ;  and  in  no  case,  unless 
it  was  very  apparent  that  fraud  was 
intended,  did  they  attempt  to  enforce 
collection  or  distress  them. 

On  the  contrary,  they  often  came  to  the 
relief  of  an  embarrassed  merchant,  whose 
other  creditors  were  pushing  him  into 
bankruptcy. 

On  one  of  these  trips,  during  the  winter 


126      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

of  '58-' 59,  I  received  a  beautiful  letter  from 
my  dear  wife,  telling  me  that  she  and  our 
daughter,  Marion,  were  to  unite  with  the 
church  which  we  were  attending,  the 
Broome  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  of 
which  Rev.  Dr.  Wood  was  pastor,  and  she 
so  much  desired  that  I  should  be  home  at 
the  time,  and  prayed  that  we  might  start  in 
the  Christian  life  together. 

I  was  detained  much  longer  than  I  ex- 
pected, and  found  it  impossible  to  be  with 
them  on  the  occasion  ;  but  I  was  with  them 
in  spirit  all  that  Sunday,  as  I  thought  of 
these  dear  ones,  and,  retiring  to  my  room, 
read  over  and  over  again  the  letter,  and 
wished  with  all  my  heart  that  I  was  with 
them. 

I  resolved  that  day  that  I  would  join 
with  my  wife,  and  with  her  and  our  dear 
children,  henceforth  try  to  lead  a  Christian 
life. 

On  this  particular  Sunday,  the  hotel  in 
which  I  was  stopping  at  Milledgeville, 
Illinois  (the  place  and  occasion  referred  to 
in  another  letter)  was  filled  with  a  boister- 
ous crowd  of  rough  men,  drinking  and 
carousing. 


A    NEW    RESOLUTION.  127 

I  realized  more  than  ever  the  natural 
depravity  of  men  when  unrestrained  by 
Christian  principle. 

I  called  to  mind  the  many  providential 
escapes  and  deliverances  from  great  perils, 
where  I  believed  a  divine  Providence  had 
interfered  in  my  behalf,  and  felt  a  strong 
conviction  that  I  ought  to  return  thanks- 
giving and  praise  to  God  for  all  his  mercies 
to  me.  I  remember  kneeling  down  by  my 
bedside  and,  praying  for  strength  and  help, 
I  then  and  there  made  a  firm  resolve  to 
henceforth  live  a  Christian  life.  On  my 
return  home,  I  greatly  rejoiced  my  wife 
and  family  by  telling  them  of  my  firm 
resolve  to  commence  at  once,  with  God's 
help,  the  new  life,  and  at  the  next  com- 
munion, our  second  daughter,  Florence, 
and  myself,  made  a  public  profession  of 
religion,  and  united  with  the  same  church. 
A  family  altar  was  set  up  in  our  home  ;  soon 
thereafter,  our  youngest  daughter,  Ella, 
made  a  public  profession  of  religion, 
making  a  united  family.  Parents  and 
children,  all  trying  to  walk  in  the  straight 
and  narrow  way  pointed  out  by  the  Master. 

I  would  say  in  this  connection,  that  my 


128   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

family  and  myself  were  regular  attendants 
and  supporters  of  the  church,  and  firm 
believers  in  the  Christian  religion  from  our 
childhood. 

Our  children  were  brought  up  to  attend 
Sunday  School  and  the  church,  and  in 
joining  the  church,  with  them,  I  am  sure, 
was  only  a  matter  of  form.  I  verily  believe 
they  were  Christians  from  their  birth.  I 
never  saw  more  conscientious  children,  so 
free  from  deception  or  guile. 

Although  not  members  of  the  church, 
both  my  wife  and  myself  tried  to  obey  all 
the  precepts  of  the  Bible.  We  believed  in 
and  read  it  habitually  ;  the  historical  por- 
tion, and  the  book  of  Job,  the  Psalms,  and 
Proverbs,  especially,  always  had  a  peculiar 
interest  for  me. 

In  regard  to  making  a  public  profession 
of  religion  and  unity  with  the  church,  for 
many  years  I  did  not  feel  it  an  important 
duty  ;  I  believed  it  possible  to  enjoy  religion 
and  be  a  follower  of  Christ  outside  of  any 
church  connection. 

I  am  convinced,  however,  it  is  much 
easier  to  live  a  Christian  life  with  church 
connections  and  Christian  fellowship. 


AN    ATTRACTIVE    HOME.  129 

I  count  it  very  fortunate  that  I  always 
had  an  attractive  home.  I  was  glad  to 
return  to  my  family  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment  that  business  would  permit. 

It  is  quite  likely  that  I  never  should  have 
run  into  dissipation,  as  many  whose  business 
called  them  a  large  part  of  the  time  to  be 
absent,  as  my  natural  inclinations  did  not 
lead  me  in  that  direction;  but  I  am  con- 
vinced that  many  a  dissipated  man  has 
became  so,  largely  through  an  unattractive 
home,  and  lack  of  sympathy  and  affection 
in  the  home  circle. 

How  true  it  is  that  we  are 

"  Like  webs  that  whiten  in  the  sun, 
Grow  pure  by  being  purely  shone  upon. ' ' 

While  on  the  other  hand,  association  with 
dissipated  and  unprincipled  men  is  apt  to 
corrupt  the  morals  of  even  naturally  good 
men. 

' '  Vice  is  a  monster  of  so  frightful  mien 
As,  to  be  hated,  needs  but  to  be  seen: 

Yet  seen  too  oft,  familiar  with  her  face, 
We  first  endure,  then  pity,  then  em- 
brace." 

I  have  mentioned,  in  my  former  letters, 


130   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

some  incidents  which  occurred  during  my 
journey  ings  and  what  has  always  seemed  to 
me  providential.  One  of  these  incidents 
which  occurred  in  the  summer  of  1859,  seems 
such  a  marked  interposition  of  an  over- 
ruling Providence  in  my  behalf. 

I  had  and  still  have,  if  he  is  living,  a 
very  dear  friend,  a  merchant  in  Bennington, 
Vermont,  Daniel  McEowen.  I  had  finished 
my  business  in  that  city,  and  expected  to 
take  the  earliest  train  for  home. 

My  friend  called  at  my  hotel  after  break- 
fast, and  invited  me  to  ride  to  the  top  of 
the  highest  point  of  the  Green  Mountains, 
some  eight  miles  from  Bennington,  where, 
he  said,  the  finest  view  could  be  had  in  all 
that  country,  and  also  drink  from  a  natural 
ice  spring,  which  we  would  pass  on  the 
way.  I  said  I  would  gladly  go  with  him, 
only  I  must  surely  be  back  in  time  for  the 
twelve  o'clock  train,  as  there  was  no  other 
until  next  morning. 

He  said  we  would  certainly  be  back  in 
time,  as  he  drove  a  fast  horse. 

We  drove  to  the  top  of  the  mountain,  and 
Mr.  McEowen  then  proposed  to  drive  across 
a  plateau  or  table-land,  which  he  said  he 


PROVIDENTIAL   ESCAPE.  131 

had  driven  across  years  before,  some  two 
miles  to  another  road,  by  which  we  would 
return  to  Bennington.  He  supposed  he 
knew  the  direction  and  the  distance,  and 
doubtless  he  did;  but  as  it  sometimes 
happens,  as  I  learned  afterward,  the  top  of 
these  mountains  suddenly  becomes  en- 
veloped in  a  cloud  so  dense  that  one  can 
scarcely  see  the  horse  he  is  driving,  and  this 
happened  with  us  before  we  had  proceeded 
half  way  across  the  plateau.  Mr.  McEowen 
owned  he  was  not  sure  of  the  direction  at 
all,  and  said  our  only  way  was  to  retrace 
our  steps;  but  this  was  more  difficult  than 
we  supposed.  There  being  no  road,  we  had 
to  search  for  the  prints  of  the  horse's  feet  in 
the  wet  grass  and  brush,  and  this  was  no 
easy  matter.  We  could  make  but  slow  pro- 
gress; he  going  ahead,  searching  for  these 
prints  and  wagon  tracks,  often  losing  the 
trail  and  having  to  search  a  long  time  to  find 
it,  while  I  drove  the  horse  and  followed  him. 
We  finally  emerged  from  the  opening  into 
the  road,  when  we  found  we  were  within 
less  than  an  hour  of  train  time,  and  eight 
miles  away.  We  did  our  very  best  to  reach 
it,  but  missed  by  a  few  minutes. 


132      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

I  never  felt  more  disappointed,  but  had 
to  submit  to  what  seemed  an  adverse 
fate. 

After  changing  my  underclothes  and  dry- 
ing my  other  garments  the  best  I  could,  I 
tried  to  resign  myself  and  to  wait  patiently 
for  next  morning's  train. 

During  the  afternoon  dispatches  came 
and  bulletins  announced  a  terrible  railroad 
catastrophe.  The  train  which  I  should  have 
taken  had  gone  down  with  the  bridge  at 
Schadicoke,  and  every  person  on  the  train 
either  killed  or  seriously  injured.  I  remem- 
ber very  distinctly  the  sensations  I  felt  at 
this  interposition  of  Providence  by  which 
I  was  spared.  My  very  flesh  crawled  and 
my  hair  seemed  to  raise  on  my  head  ;  I 
could  scarcely  speak.  The  interposition 
seemed  so  tangible  and  plain  I  felt  I  was  in 
the  hollow  of  God's  hand,  snatched,  as  it 
were,  from  the  very  jaws  of  death. 

The  train  which  I  took  next  morning  pro- 
ceeded to  the  bridge ;  the  passengers,  with 
myself,  walked  down  the  banks,  some  hun- 
dred feet  or  more,  where  the  three  or  four 
cars  lay  at  the  bottom,  smashed  almost  into 
kindling  wood,  with  the  timbers  of  the 


PROVIDENTIAL   ESCAPE.  133 

bridge  all  piled  in  a  confused  mass.  The 
train  from  Troy  was  waiting  on  the  other 
side,  and,  as  soon  as  the  baggage  was  car- 
ried across  and  passengers  transferred,  we 
proceeded  on  our  journey. 

I  have  never,  since  then,  murmured  at  any 
misconnectlon  of  trains.  I  believe  Provi- 
dence often  overrules,  and  what  seems 
exceedingly  vexatious  and  adverse  is  often 
our  salvation. 

I  look  back  now  to  many  incidents  dur- 
ing my  life  in  which  I  feel  sure  a  divine  pro- 
tecting hand  guided  me ;  the  reason,  I  do  not 
pretend  to  fathom.  I  can  easily  see  the  rea- 
son why  some  lives  have  been  providentially 
preserved  to  benefit  the  race,  or  for  some  wise 
purpose,  which  was  apparent  to  themselves 
and  others ;  but,  in  my  own  case,  I  cannot 
perceive  this.  My  life  has  been  quiet  and 
domestic,  and  seems  to  me  could  have  been 
blotted  out  without  leaving  scarcely  a 
ripple,  except  to  my  family  and  immediate 
surroundings. 

The  years  1859  and  '60  were  years  of  great 
political  excitement.  The  new  Republican 
party,  which  was  composed  of  the  free- soil 
element  of  both  of  the  old  parties,  was 


134   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

conscientiously  opposed  to  any  further 
extension  of  slavery. 

The  solid  South  was,  of  course,  in  favor 
of  slavery,  and  when  it  became  probable 
that  the  anti-slavery  people  of  the  North 
would  elect  their  president,  they  began  to 
make  preparations  to  secede  and  to  set  up 
an  independent  confederate  government  of 
their  own,  with  slavery  as  the  corner  stone. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  old  Dem- 
ocratic party  of  the  North  sympathized 
with  these  conspirators ;  denouncing  as 
' '  Negro  Worshippers, ' '  '  'Abolitionists ' '  and 
"Black  Republicans"  the  loyal  men  who 
dared  to  assert  themselves  in  favor  of  "free 
soil." 

The  cabinet  of  James  Buchanan  was  com- 
posed mostly  of  southern  men  and  sympa- 
thizers in  the  secession  movement,  includ- 
ing his  vice-president,  Breckinridge.  These 
men  had  been  for  years  undermining  the 
government,  crippling  its  resources,  and 
yet,  during  all  this  time,  while  the  Repub- 
lican party  was  sounding  the  alarm  and 
warning  the  country  of  its  peril,  this  old 
copperhead  Democratic  party  went  on  with 
its  preparations,  and  in  its  national  conven- 


POLITICAL   EXCITEMENT.  135 

tion  proceeded  to  nominate  and  to  vigor- 
ously prosecute  the  canvass  to  elect  these 
very  conspirators  who  were  then  ready  to 
capture  the  government,  having  already 
stolen  its  arms  and  crippled  its  resources. 

The  tiring  upon  Fort  Sumter  caused  a 
great  reaction.  Some  of  the  Democratic 
leaders,  and  many  of  the  rank  and  file  of 
the  party  came  out  as  "  War  Democrats  ;" 
but,  finding  no  half-way  station  between  the 
two  great  antagonistic  parties,  joined  man- 
fully and  loyally  the  Union  Republican 
ranks,  and  with  that  party,  fought  for  and 
preserved  the  Union  and  saved  the  country. 

Many  of  these  War  Democrats  became, 
during  and  after  the  war,  the  most  radical 
and  loyal  Republicans,  indorsing  the  policy 
of  the  party  and  its  reconstruction 
measures,  and  the  constitutional  amend- 
ments forever  abolishing  slavery  and 
making  the  freedmen  citizens  of  a  free  and 
united  country.  All  honor  to  such  men, 
who  refused  to  follow  the  conspirators  or  to 
fight  under  any  other  flag  than  uOld 
Glory,"  the  beloved  stars  and  stripes  of 
our  beloved  country. 

The  old  Democratic    party  hated    these 


136   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

men,     whom    they    termed     "turncoats," 
more  than   they  did  the  "  Black  Republi- 
cans," as  they  called  them.     I  must  think 
that  many  of  these  men,  who  made  up  the 
Democratic    party  during    the    war,    were 
honest  and  patriotic ;   but,    oh !    how  mis- 
taken.      Their    national    and    state,    and 
county  conventions,  and  "  peace  meetings," 
all  had  the  effect  of  encouraging  the  rebels 
to  hold  out  long  after  it  was  evident  to  the 
whole    world    they    were    beaten.       Many 
thousand  lives  were  lost  on  both  sides,  and 
millions  and  millions  of  money  expended, 
as    I    verily    believe,     on    account    of    the 
disloyalty  and  sympathy  with  the  secession- 
ists of    the  old  Democratic  party  of    the 
northern  states.     It  is  a  sad  thought  to  me 
that    many   dear    friends    whom   I  esteem 
very  highly,    were  numbered  among   that 
party,  and  who  really  favored  a  dissolution 
of  the  Union,   rather  than  to   coerce    the 
South.     I  desire  to  say  here,  that  I  was  a 
Republican    from    the    formation    of    that 
party;    the    blackest    kind    of    a    "Black 
Republican;"  an  old  Abolitionist  as  far  as 
the  Government  had  the  right  to  abolish 
slavery,  and  where  it  was  bound  to  tolerate 


POLITICAL   EXCITEMENT.  137 

it,  I  would  hedge  it  up  within  its  lawful 
limits  as  I  would  any  infectious  disease. 

I  had  many  discussions  with  my  Demo- 
cratic friends  on  this  subject ;  some 
intimate  friendships  broken  ;  the  lines  were 
pretty  closely  drawn. 

At  this  writing,  more  than  three  decades 
since  the  war  closed,  some  of  these 
Obstructionists,  to  use  a  mild  term,  are 
trying  to  make  themselves  and  the  rising 
generation  believe  they  were  always  union 
men,  and  that  the  Martyr  Lincoln  was  a 
good  man,  and  not  the  "  ignorant  back- 
woods man"  of  thirty-live  years  before. 
Some  of  the  younger  generation  may 
believe  them,  but  with  those  like  myself, 
who  remember  those  dark  days,  all  this  is 
idle  talk. 

I  sometimes  feel  as  did  the  old  Indian 
when  he  said  he  ' '  could  forgive  and  forget, 
but  he  tarnally  remembered." 


138      RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A   LIFETIME. 


LETTER  IX. 
MY  DEAR  H.— 

As  I  said  in  my  previous  letter,  the  years 
immediately  preceding  the  election  of 
Lincoln  and  the  war  were  years  of  great 
excitement ;  the  future  seemed  dark  indeed. 
A  civil  war  at  home  imminent,  and  a 
possible  war  with  England,  and  the  country 
just  emerging  from  the  effects  of  the  panic 
of  1857,  all  tended  to  forebode  disaster,  and 
men  dreaded  the  dark  cloud  that  was 
already  looming  up  in  the  distance. 

To  the  credit  of  the  descendants  of  the 
Pilgrims  they  did  not  flinch  ;  but,  in  the 
face  of  threats  from  the  disloyal  South  and 
their  stanch  supporters  in  the  North, 
that :  "If  you  elect  for  president,  the  Black 
Republican,  Lincoln,  the  Union  is  split,  and 
war  will  follow."  I  say  to  the  credit  of 
these  true  Northern  men,  they  defied  the 
threats,  and  elected  the  man  of  their  choice  ; 
and,  sure  enough,  war  did  follow.  That 
war  is  history  now ;  but  when  it  was  in 
progress,  it  was  a  time,  indeed,  that  tried 
men's  souls. 


ELECTION   OF    LINCOLN.  139 

Although  I  was  not  in  the  military 
service  of  the  country,  my  whole  heart  was 
bound  up  in  the  cause  of  the  Union.  I 
stood  my  draft,  but  was  not  drafted ;  I 
helped  pay  for  substitutes  for  fellow  clerks 
who  were  drafted  and  so  situated  that  they 
could  not  go. 

I  did,  however,  join  an  association  of 
several  hundred  men  in  South  Brooklyn, 
headed  by  the  pastor  of  my  church,  the 
late  Rev.  Dr.  Spear.  Meetings  were 
held  weekly  in  a  large  hall,  and  we  were 
drilled  in  military  tactics  by  an  elder  of 
the  church,  who  had  been  an  officer  of  the 
regular  army  in  the  Mexican  war. 

The  purpose  of  the  association  was  to  be 
organized  ;  and  if  necessity  required,  by  an 
invasion  or  any  emergency,  we  would  be 
ready  to  respond  at  a  moment's  notice.  As 
the  Civil  War  is  historical,  I  will  not  dwell 
upon  it  only  so  far  as  my  own  personal 
history  is  concerned. 

When  the  war  commenced,  the  future  was 
so  dark  and  uncertain  all  business  men  felt 
it  incumbent  to  reduce  expenses.  Salaries 
were  cut  down,  often  fifty  per  cent,  and 
more.  It  has  always  been  very  gratifying 


140   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

to  me,  that  the  firm  I  was  with,  not  only  did 
not  reduce  my  salary,  but  made  a  material 
advance  ;  I  being  the  only  one,  as  I 
remember,  among  some  two  hundred  and 
fifty  employes,  that  was  not  reduced. 

I  never  felt,  however,  that  this  was 
through  any  favoritism,  but  that  my 
services  were  really  worth  all  I  received. 

It  was  the  wish  of  the  firm  that  I  should 
be  on  a  salary  rather  than  a  commission,  as 
were  many  of  the  salesmen,  for  the  reason 
they  desired  me  to  look  after  outside 
matters,  as  mentioned  in  a  former  letter. 

This  branch  of  the  business,  however, 
became  so  distasteful  to  me,  that  I  finally 
declined  to  continue  it,  and  insisted 
upon  being  put  on  a  commission,  and 
before  the  war  closed,  my  income  was 
changed  from  a  salary  to  a  commission ; 
by  this  arrangement  my  income  was  more 
than  doubled.  From  that  time  I  never 
worked  on  a  salary,  but  always  on  a  com- 
mission, paying  my  own  traveling  expenses 
and  hiring  my  own  assistants ;  this  being 
more  independent  and  satisfactory  every 
way. 

I  am  diverging  and  getting  ahead  of  my 


ON   THE   REBEL   LINES.  141 

story .  To  go  back  to  the  early  incidents  of 
the  war. 

Our  firm  had  a  large  trade  in  some  of  the 
southern  states,  and  this  trade  was,  of 
course,  all  cut  off  when  the  war  commenced, 
and  collections  were  impossible,  as  all  com- 
munications between  the  North  and  the 
South  was  suddenly  stopped  in  the 
beginning  of  the  war. 

There  were  about  a  dozen  or  more 
merchants  in  the  two  counties  of  Accomac 
and  Northampton,  Virginia,  owing  our  firm 
a  considerable  amount.  These  counties 
are  what  is  known  as  the  eastern  shore  or 
peninsula,  separated  from  the  rest  of  the 
state  by  the  Chesapeake. 

In  the  month  of  January,  1862,  a  dispatch 
in  the  morning  papers  told  of  a  secret  expe- 
dition that  had  marched  down  the  peninsula, 
and  that  not  only  the  rebel  force,  but  many 
merchants  and  farmers,  and  inhabitants  had 
fled  before  our  little  army,  taking  boats  and 
whatever  would  float  them  across  the 
Chesapeake,  out  of  the  reach  of  the  Yankee 
troops,  leaving  their  stores,  their  stock, 
their  houses,  and  everything  ;  expecting,  if 
caught,  to  be  hung  as  traitors. 


142      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

When  this  news  came  to  New  York  our 
firm  desired  me  to  go  immediately  to  Balti- 
more or  Washington,  and  procure  a  pass,  if 
possible,  from  the  government  or  command- 
ing-general, and  to  go  to  that  part  of 
Virginia  and  see  what  could  be  done.  Of 
course,  they  could  give  me  no  instructions  ; 
there  were  no  precedents  ;  communication 
all  cut  off,  except  for  military  operations. 
I  was  given  carte -blanche  as  to  the  manner 
of  getting  there  and  to  manage  the  affairs 
as  I  considered  best.  It  was  a  new  experi- 
ence, and  I  was  only  too  glad  to  enter  upon 
it.  I  started  as  soon  as  I  could  go  home 
and  pack  a  few  things  in  my  grip,  taking 
leave  of  my  little  family,  and  went  immedi- 
ately to  Baltimore ;  obtained  an  interview 
with  General  Dix,  the  commandant  of  that 
district,  and,  after  some  delay,  obtained  a 
pass  from  him  to  go  by  government  trans- 
port to  Fortress  Monroe,  which  was  as  far 
as  he  could  pass  me.  General  Wool  was  in 
command  at  Fortress  Monroe. 

I  had  quite  an  experience  at  Fortress 
Monroe.  Arriving  there  in  the  early  morn- 
ing I  found  everything  about  the  docks  and 
barracks  in  disorder.  The  secret  expedition 


ON   THE   REBEL   LINES.  143 

of  General  Burnside  had  sailed  from  there 
the  evening  before,  with  sealed  orders, 
which  proved  to  be  to  go  to  Hatteras  Inlet 
and  North  Carolina. 

I  obtained  lodging  at  the  only  public 
house  in  the  place,  "  Willard's,"  and 
soon  as  possible  obtained  an  interview 
with  General  Wool ;  stated  to  him  my 
business  and  my  desire  for  a  pass  to  the 
eastern  shore.  The  old  general  flatly 
refused  upon  the  ground  that  all  civil  busi- 
ness must  be  subordinate  to  the  military  ; 
he  would  allow  no  civilian  to  go  through  the 
lines.  I  appealed  to  his  sympathies  for 
loyal  creditors  who  were  suffering  so  much 
by  the  South  ;  to  his  sense  of  justice ;  but 
he  only  referred  me  to  the  authorities  at 
Washington.  This  would  involve  a  delay 
of  a  week  at  least  in  the  then  state  of 
traveling  ;  but  he  was  lirm.  I  went  back  to 
my  hotel  and  passed  nearly  a  sleepless  night 
thinking  over  the  matter  and  what  course 
I  had  better  pursue. 

I  concluded  to  try  once  more,  and  in  the 
morning  went  again  to  his  headquarters, 
determined,  if  possible,  to  overcome  his 
scruples.  I  found  he  was  willing  to  argue 


144   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

the  point  with  me,  and  began  to  feel  the 
battle  was  half  won.  I  offered  to  pay 
for  dispatches  if  he  would  telegraph  to 
Washington  ;  told  him  the  nature  of  my 
business  and  its  urgent  needs.  The  old 
general  began  to  soften  and  finally  yielded, 
and  gave  me  the  pass ;  and,  following  me  to 
the  walls  of  the  fortress,  pointed  out  the 
dock  from  which  a  transport,  with  supplies, 
would  sail  next  morning ;  and,  shaking  my 
hand,  wished  me  success. 

Next  morning  I  was  at  the  dock  desig- 
nated, waiting  for  a  boat  but  none  was  there. 
An  officer  came  to  me  and  asked  my  busi- 
ness. I  told  him  I  was  waiting  for  the  boat 
for  the  eastern  shore.  He  said  the  boat  would 
sail  from  another  dock,  where  she  was  then 
loading,  half  a  mile  away,  and  he  pointed 
it  out  to  me.  I  told  him  General  Wool  had 
told  me  the  boat  was  to  go  from  that  dock. 
He  replied  General  Wool  didn't  know;  that 
he  was  captain  of  the  port  and  knew  all 
about  it.  Upon  this  information  I  started 
to  walk  to  the  other  dock,  but  before  reach- 
ing it  the  boat  started,  and  I  turned  to  walk 
back  to  the  first  dock,  thinking  it  would 
stop  there  ;  and  it  did,  just  for  a  moment 


VISIT   FORTRESS   MONROE.  145 

for  some  officer  to  jump  on  board,  and  then 
steamed  off  and  was  soon  nearly  out  of 
sight.  I  found,  by  the  captain  of  the  port, 
that  the  boat  had  indeed  gone,  and  no 
other  boat  would  go  to  the  eastern  shore 
in  four  days.  Everything  seemed  to  be 
in  confusion.  The  captain  took  the  blame 
on  himself  for  not  stopping  the  boat  and 
waiting  for  me.  He  excused  himself  by 
saying  he  had  not  slept  for  three  days  and 
nights,  and  been  at  work  every  moment 
getting  off  the  secret  expedition. 

The  four  days  that  I  was  thus  obliged  to 
spend  at  Fortress  Monroe  were  full  of 
incidents.  The  captain,  to  soften  my  dis- 
appointment, gave  me  special  privileges, 
and  an  opportunity  to  see  the  military 
operations,  among  which  was  one  that 
I  was  very  much  impressed  with — the  first 
exchange  of  prisoners.  I  was  invited  to  go 
out  on  the  flag-of-truce  boat  to  meet  the 
fiag-of-truce  boat  of  the  rebels  near  Nor- 
folk. Several  hundred  of  our  brave  boys 
who  had  been  in  Libby  Prison  since  the 
"Bull  Run"  battle,  more  than  six  months, 
were  brought  on  the  boat ;  many  of  them, 
sick  and  wounded,  had  to  be  carried  on 


146      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

litters,  quite  a  number  entirely  helpless. 
Several  died  at  Fortress  Monroe  before  they 
could  be  sent  on  North  ;  a  pitiful  sight  it 
was,  and  haunted  me  for  weeks. 

General  Butler  was  stationed  at  Newport 
News,  some  ten  miles  from  Fortress  Mon- 
roe, with  an  army  of  fifteen  to  twenty  thou- 
sand men ;  and  two  men-of-war,  the  "  Cum- 
berland ' '  and  ' '  Congress,"  were  stationed  off 
Newport  News,  at  the  mouth  of  James  River, 
to  blockade  the  river.  Provisions  and  fresh 
water  for  his  army  had  to  be  sent  from 
Fortress  Monroe  by  boats. 

I  was  invited  by  the  port  captain  to 
accompany  one  of  these  supply  boats.  The 
boat  was  loaded  with  provisions,  some 
horses,  and  several  officers,  and  was  towing 
a  water  boat  with  a  tank  containing 
hundreds  of  hogsheads  of  water.  Of  course 
we  made  slow  progress,  and  I  noticed  our 
captain  and  some  of  the  officers  were  intently 
watching  with  their  glasses  a  queer  sort  of 
craft  in  the  distance  steaming  directly 
towards  us.  When  it  came  within  perhaps 
half  or  three-quarters  of  a  mile  it  com- 
menced firing,  and  we  could  see  the  water 
plowed  up  in  a  direct  line  towards  us,  and 


IN   RANGE   OF   REBEL    GUNS.  147 

kept  approaching  nearer  and  nearer  to 
us. 

The  captain  remarked  he  had  no  fear  for 
his  vessel ;  but  might,  if  pressed  too  closely, 
have  to  cut  loose  from  the  water  boat,  and 
we  all  felt  anxious  until  we  came  under  the 
guns  of  the  "Cumberland"  and  "Congress," 
when  we  felt  safe. 

This  queer  looking  craft  was  the  noted 
rebel  ram,  the  iron-clad  "Merrimac,"  which 
only  a  few  days  later  came  out  and  sank  the 
two  government  ships,  the  "Cumberland" 
and  "  Congress; "  their  guns  making  no  im- 
pression on  the  iron -clad,  many  of  the 
brave  sailors  going  down  with  their  ship. 

General  Butler's  army  stationed  on  the 
bluff  overlooking  these  ships  and  watching 
the  unequal  tight,  was  powerless  to  help. 

It  will  be  remembered,  however,  that  the 
next  morning  when  it  was  expected  the 
"  Merrimac  "  would  come  out  and  complete 
its  work  of  destruction  in  Hampton  Roads, 
and  open  up  the  James  and  Chesapeake, 
the  little  turreted  "Monitor"  hove  in 
sight,  looking,  as  was  said,  like  a  cheese 
box  on  a  raft,  and  met  this  floating  monster, 
and  the  world -renowned  battle  ensued, 


148      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

revolutionizing  maritime  warfare  through- 
out the  world.  I  missed  seeing  this  fight, 
but  having  seen  the  monster,  and  been  in 
range  of  its  guns  so  recently,  I  could  realize 
its  significance  and  the  danger  the  country 
barely  escaped. 

There  was  only  a  small  force  stationed  at 
Old  Point  Comfort  where  I  was  stopping  ; 
and  just  across  Hampton  Roads,  in  sight, 
was  stationed  a  large  rebel  army.  Every- 
thing was  kept  in  readiness  for  an  attack, 
and  I  experienced  my  first  sensation  of  war. 

All  night  long,  every  hour,  I  could  hear 
a  sentinel  call  out,  "twelve  o'clock,  and 
all's  well,"  "one  o'clock,  and  all's 
well,"  and  so  on,  every  hour  of  the  night. 

I  asked  my  friend,  the  captain,  why 
people  had  to  be  awakened  and  told  that 
all  was  well ;  why  did  they  not  allow  them 
to  sleep  until  it  was  necessary  to  wake  them 
for  some  actual  danger.  "Oh,"  he  said, 
"this  calling  out  by  the  sentinels  assured 
the  army  and  the*  people  that  all  was  well, 
and  they  could  rest  in  safety." 

At  the  expiration  of  the  four  days  the 
little  transport  was  again  loaded,  and,  I 
on  board,  headed  for  the  eastern  shore 


ON   THE   REBEL   LINES.  149 

some  thirty  miles  across  the  Chesapeake. 
It  was  a  cloudy  day,  and  in  the  afternoon 
a  dense  fog  settled  down.  Our  captain 
slowed  his  engine,  took  soundings,  feel- 
ing his  way,  hoping  to  make  the  landing 
before  night,  when  suddenly  our  boat 
struck  bottom,  and  we  were  fast  aground. 
We  were  not  certain  just  where  we  were, 
and  settled  down,  expecting  to  stay 
on  bpard  all  night  until  we  could  have 
daylight  and  high  tide  to  float  us  off ; 
there  were  no  accommodations  for  sleeping, 
or  scarcely  room  to  sit  down. 

About  sunset,  however,  the  fog  began  to 
lift,  and  we  could  see  the  shore  some  three 
or  four  miles  away ;  but  we  were  fast  and 
could  not  move.  We  noticed,  just  before  it 
became  dark,  a  small  boat  pull  off  from  the 
shore,  and  it  came  direct  to  our  boat.  The 
rowers  were  soldiers,  who  said  there  was  a 
camp  of  one  or  two  hundred  soldiers  at  that 
point ;  they  were  expecting  their  Colonel  and 
came  to  see  if  he  was  on  board.  He  was  not 
on  board  ;  only  myself  and  a  Mr.  Dibble 
beside  the  captain  and  crew.  We  prevailed 
on  the  soldiers  to  take  us  to  the  shore.  On 
nearing  the  shore  we  were  challenged  by  the 


150   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

sentinel  on  duty  :  ' '  Who  comes  there  ? ' ' 
We  replied,  "Friends  with  a  pass."  Then 
came,  "  Advance  one  and  show  your  pass." 
As  the  boat  touched  the  shore,  I  stepped  off 
and  showed  my  pass  from  General  Wool ; 
then  Mr.  Dibble,  who  had  a  general  pass 
as  he  had  a  contract  to  buy  pine  wood  for 
the  Navy,  and  was  on  that  business. 

The  soldiers,  true  to  their  discipline, 
marched  us  single  file  to  headquarters, 
we  stated  our  business  to  the  commandant 
and  were  given  a  grand  reception  by  the 
boys.  They  were  starving  for  news,  not 
having  heard  a  word  in  four  days,  and 
supposed  there  had  been  battles,  and  feared 
that  Washington  had  been  captured,  and 
all  sorts  of  disasters,  until  we  assured  them 
to  the  contrary  and  gave  them  late  papers. 
They  gave  us  a  supper,  the  best  they  had, 
and  when  they  found  we  desired  to  go  to 
Eastville,  which  was  ten  miles,  they  offered 
to  harness  a  team  and  drive  us  out  that  night. 

Where  they  were  stationed  was  an  old 
plantation  owned  by  a  Mr.  Custis,  a  de- 
scendant of  the  Washington-Custis  family  ; 
a  large  house  which  the  officers  occupied. 

In  their  flight  they  had  left  everything — 


AMONG   THE   CONFEDERATES.  151 

a  line  span  of  horses,  wagons,  a  pen  full 
of  fat  hogs,  cows,  chickens,  etc.;  so  the 
boys  were  faring  nicely. 

After  supper  they  harnessed  the  horses, 
and  putting  hay  in  the  bottom  of  the  wagon, 
Mr.  Dibble  and  myself  sat  down  on  the  hay 
while  two  soldiers  sat  on  a  seat  in  front  and 
four  behind  us,  all  ready  for  a  skirmish  in 
case  of  attack  from  bushwhackers,  who 
were  reported  lurking  about.  We  were  not 
molested,  however,  and  reached  Eastville  in 
a  couple  of  hours. 

This  place,  Eastville,  was  a  real  secession- 
hole,  being  in  Gov.  Wise's  congressional 
district.  He  was  a  lire  eater — a  red-hot 
secessionist ;  and  this  people,  his  constitu- 
ents, were  the  same  sort.  The  most  promi- 
nent people  had  fled ;  the  leaders  and  all 
who  had  taken  up  arms  expected  to  be 
hung  if  captured  ;  hence  their  speedy  flight 
when  the  hated  Yankee  blue  coats  so  sud- 
denly pounced  down  upon  them. 

From  this  point  I  traveled  over  the  two 
counties  of  Northampton  and  Accomac, 
having  procured  a  horse  and  buggy  and 
a  driver,  until  I  got  somewhat  accustomed 
to  the  country. 


152   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

One  day  while  driving  alone  rain  came 
on  so  hard  that  I  stopped  at  a  country 
tavern — the  most  dilapidated,  isolated, 
tumble-down  place  I  ever  saw  used  for 
public  accommodation.  The  rain  contin- 
ued, and  I  concluded  to  have  my  horse 
put  up  and  to  remain  over  night.  During 
the  afternoon  and  evening,  the  bar  room 
tilled  up  with  the  hardest  looking  set  of 
men  and  boys  I  ever  saw  together.  Poor 
whites,  long,  lank,  jaundiced-looking, 
ragged  and  rough.  They  were  all  seces- 
sionists, of  course,  and  the  idea  that  the 
South  could  be  conquered  by  the  Yankees 
was,  to  them,  the  most  preposterous  idea 
imaginable. 

They  were  testing  new  and  heavy  guns  at 
Fortress  Monroe  that  day,  and  these  men 
had  been  listening  to  the  distant  thunders 
some  thirty  miles  away,  and  felt  sure  there 
had  been  a  battle,  and  sure,  also,  that 
Fortress  Monroe  was  captured  by  the 
secessionists,  as  in  their  then  state  of 
feeling,  a  battle  meant  to  them  certain 
rebel  victory.  These  men  became  very 
hilarious  as  the  afternoon  and  evening 
advanced,  and  were  really  abusive.  I  did 


AMONG   THE   CONFEDERATES.  153 

not  then,  nor  never  did,  suppress  my  Union 
sentiments,  and  on  this  occasion  I  did  not 
mince  words  with  these  men. 

On  retiring  for  the  night,  many  of  these 
fellows  were  still  in  the  bar  room,  and  very 
noisy.  It  occurred  to  me  that  if  the  news 
should  come,  as  these  men  expected  and 
were  waiting  for — of  a  battle  and  rebel 
victory — perhaps  my  own  personal  safety 
might  be  in  danger.  I  carried  a  revolver  at 
that  time,  and  after  making  my  door  as 
secure  as  I  could,  I  saw  that  my  revolver 
was  in  order  and  handy  before  I  lay  down 
on  my  corn-husk  bed.  I  was  not  molested, 
however,  and  the  morning  opened  bright. 
I  had  breakfast  alone,  was  served  by  the 
landlady  with  fried  pork  and  corn  cakes, 
and  a  compound  for  coffee  of  burned  grain 
of  some  sort,  the  woman  remarking  that  it 
was  "not  store  coffee  as  they  did  not  use 
store  coffee  or  store  tea,  or  anything  that 
paid  any  duty  to  the  Yankee  government." 

I  found  some  of  the  stores  closed,  the 
owners  having  fled.  Those  not  closed,  the 
merchants  were  sitting  around  doing 
nothing,  waiting  for  something  to  turn  up. 
They  had  some  Virginia  bank  bills,  and 


154      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

Confederate  money,   but    nothing  I  could 
take. 

The  closed  stores  had  been  taken  posses- 
sion of  by  the  quartermaster  of  the  Union 
army.  I  filed  our  claim  as  loyal  creditors 
with  the  quartermaster,  with  the  approval 
and  advice  of  the  commanding  officers. 
Eventually  when  the  merchants  felt  safe  to 
return,  they  did  so  ;  and  on  taking  the  oath 
of  allegiance  were  permitted  to  go  on  with 
their  business.  The  merchants,  who  had 
remained,  seemed  willing  to  do  anything 
they  could,  and  I  made  arrangements  with  a 
Mr.  Moore  and  Mr.  Dibble,  who  were 
buying  Virginia  pine  wood  and  supplies  for 
the  army  and  navy,  to  secure  our  claims  for 
a  moderate  commission  ;  which  they 
eventually  did,  so  that  my  trip  was  most 
successful,  not  only  in  that  section,  but 
these  men  being  large  contractors  followed 
our  army,  and  as  the  Union  lines  were 
pushed  further  into  the  rebel  territory 
they,  being  on  the  ground,  were  able  to 
secure  claims  which  otherwise  would  have 
been  lost.  On  my  return  to  Baltimore,  I 
concluded  to  visit  Washington  ;  Congress 
being  in  session,  they  were  having  ex- 


VISIT   WASHINGTON.  155 

citing  times.  I  shall  never  forget  the 
discussions  I  heard  in  both  houses  of  Con- 
gress on  that  occasion. 

In  the  House  a  bill  was  under  discussion 
to  make  the  railroads  of  the  country 
military  highways.  Some  of  the  roads, 
whose  managers  were  secessionists,  had 
given  preference  to  moving  freight,  rather 
than  moving  the  army.  This  bill  was  to 
compel  them  to  give  precedence,  in  all  cases, 
to  military  operations. 

I  heard  a  speech  full  of  iire  and  patriotism 
from  that  grand  old  man,  Thaddeus  Stevens, 
who,  by  the  way,  belonged  to  a  branch  of 
our  family. 

I  felt  proud  of  him,  and  shall  never  for- 
get the  old  hero  as  he  strode  down  the  aisle, 
hurling  invectives  against  the  Copperheads 
who  urged  the  lawful  right  of  railroads  to 
load  their  cars  with  lumber  or  iron,  if  they 
chose,  rather  than  armed  men  and  cannon. 
I  could  have  embraced  the  old  man,  homely 
and  rough  as  he  was  said  to  be,  though  he 
did  not  seem  so  to  me. 

In  the  Senate,  I  remember,  a  resolution 
was  being  discussed  to  expel  from  the 
Senate  a  Democratic  senator  from  Indiana, 


156   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

Jesse  Bright,  who  had  been  writing  to  the 
rebel  authorities  in  Richmond,  recommend- 
ing to  them  some  new  invention  of  a  gun 
more  effective  and  destructive  than  any 
they  had  in  use.  His  letters  were  addressed 
to  the  "Hon.  Jefferson  Davis,  President  of 
the  Confederate  States."  As  I  remember, 
the  correspondence  was  not  denied  by  him  or 
his  Democratic  friends  ;  but  they  argued  his 
lawful  right  to  do  so  if  he  chose.  I  believe 
nearly  every  Democratic  senator  took  that 
view  of  it ;  but  the  loyal  Republicans  took  a 
decidedly  different  view,  and  Senator  Bright 
got  his  walking  papers  from  the  Senate 
Chamber  to  his  home  in  Indiana,  instead 
of  the  gallows  as  he  richly  deserved.  In 
the  beginning  we  played  war,  but  learned 
better  as  it  progressed. 

While  in  Washington  I  attended  a  public 
reception  at  the  White  House,  where  I  saw 
President  and  Mrs.  Lincoln,  and  many 
notables — members  of  the  cabinet,  senators, 
congressmen  and  foreign  ministers,  gover- 
nors, and  prominent  men  from  all  over  the 
country. 

The  grandest  figure  of  all,  to  my  mind, 
was  President  Lincoln.  His  greeting  and 


157 

hand -grasp  was  most  cordial,  and  his  pleas- 
ant smile  lit  up  his  homely  features,  mak- 
ing them  beautiful  to  me.  His  wearied, 
anxious  look,  however,  showed  the  awful 
burden  he  was  carrying — a  nation's  fate  on 
his  shoulders. 

No  picture  of  ancient  or  modern  history 
ever  left  such  an  impression  on  my  mind. 
It  seemed  nearest  to  the  picture  of  our 
Saviour  bearing  the  sins  and  guilt  of  the 
world. 

I  had  seen  Mr.  Lincoln  before  he  was 
nominated  for  president,  and  heard  his 
famous  Cooper  Union  speech.  I  was  deeply 
impressed  at  that  time  with  the  man,  but 
it  was  under  vastly  different  circum- 
stances. He  did  not  make  the  same 
impression  on  me  as  did  his  appearance  at 
this  reception.  At  that  time  he  was  only 
known  from  his  debates  with  Mr.  Douglas, 
in  Illinois,  and  his  fame  had  not  become 
national.  There  was  a  sort  of  independent, 
western  boldness  in  his  speech,  not  so  refined 
and  cultured  as  some  speeches  delivered  in 
the  same  course  of  lectures  by  such  men  as 
Edward  Everett,  Wendell  Phillips,  Charles 
Sumner  and  others ;  but  it  was  solid  as 


158   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

the  mountains,  and  every  proposition  was 
nailed  and  clinched.  It  was  a  speech  full 
of  texts  for  loyal  men.  I  have  always 
remembered,  with  great  satisfaction,  having 
heard  this  speech  of  our  martyr  president, 
and  of  taking  his  hand  two  years  later  as 
our  loved  president,  and  saying  to  him,  as 
did  hundreds  of  others  that  night,  "  God 
bless  you!"  and  this  came  from  the  very 
bottom  of  the  hearts  of  millions  of  men  and 
women  the  world  over. 


TRIP   TO    NORTH   CAROLINA.  159 


LETTER  X. 
MY  DEAR  H.— 

In  my  last  letter  I  told  you  something  of 
my  experience  on  the  rebel  lines  in  Virginia 
and  in  Washington.  During  the  spring  of 
that  year,  1862,  our  lirm  obtained  permis- 
sion from  the  government  to  ship  to 
ports  in  the  South,  opened  by  our  army 
and  navy,  dry  goods,  boots  and  shoes,  and 
other  merchandise.  They  believed  this 
business  could  be  extended  very  largely  as 
our  army  should  open  the  gate-ways  of 
trade. 

They  desired  me  to  take  the  management 
of  this  entire  business,  and  offered  to  more 
than  double  my  salary,  which  was,  at  that 
time,  $2,500  a  year,  making  it  $5,000,  or 
even  $6,000;  which  offer  I  would  not  enter- 
tain for  a  moment. 

They  finally  made  a  proposition  to  con- 
tinue my  salary  of  $2,500  and  to  give  me 
ten  per  cent,  of  the  profits ;  which  offer  I 
finally  accepted,  and  entered  heartily  into 
the  enterprise. 

Our  first  point  for  operation  was  to  be 


160      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

Newbern,  N".  C.,  a  city  then  just  captured 
by  our  army  ;  and  from  this  point  I  was  to 
be  governed  as  circumstances  indicated  ;  to 
follow  up  the  opening  of  new  places,  and 
establish  stores  or  trading  points,  and  to 
have  help  sent  to  me  as  was  needed. 

It  was  no  small  undertaking.  We  looked 
about  to  find  a  suitable  vessel,  as  there  was 
no  established  freight  lines  then  to  any 
southern  ports.  We  finally  selected  and 
chartered  an  old  style,  centre  board,  flat- 
bottom  schooner,  intended  to  sail  in  the 
shallow  waters  of  the  sounds  and  rivers  as 
well  as  on  the  ocean.  Our  purpose  was  to 
go  up  the  Neuse  and  Tar  Rivers,  Albemarle 
and  Pamlico  Sounds  in  North  Carolina,  as 
circumstances  should  indicate  and  as  I  con- 
sidered it  safe  to  do. 

The  name  of  this  schooner  was  the 
"  Julius  Webb,"  commanded  by  Captain 
Eldridge,  with  a  mate  and  six  seamen  and 
colored  cook.  Captain  Eldridge  was  an  old 
man ;  had  been  captain  of  a  whale  ship 
many  years,  and  knew  all  about  the  sea. 

I  selected  four  of  the  best  young  men  in 
our  store  and  one  from  a  boot  and  shoe 
house  to  handle  that  part  of  our  stock. 


TRIP   TO   NORTH    CAROLINA.  161 

The  name  of  this  young  man  was  Luther 
Bingham,  of  whom  I  shall  speak  hereafter. 

We  proceeded  to  select  from  our  store, 
and  to  buy  outside,  a  general  assortment  of 
merchandise  which  we  considered  suitable, 
and  loaded  our  schooner  with  goods 
amounting  to  between  $30,000  and  $40,000, 
had  them  insured,  and  when  everything 
was  ready,  I  bade  good-by  to  my  dear  ones 
at  home,  and  with  the  young  men  went 
aboard  the  schooner. 

It  was  late  in  the  day  before  we  got 
started,  too  late  to  pass  Sandy  Hook  before 
dark,  so  we  cast  anchor  in  the  bay  to  wait 
until  next  morning  for  a  fair  wind  and  day- 
light to  pass  the  narrows  and  out  to  sea. 
It  was  a  long,  doleful  night  to  me  ;  I  scarcely 
slept  at  all,  but  stood  on  the  deck  looking 
over  the  city  where  my  loved  ones  were, 
whom  I  had  left  in  tears  a  few  hours  before. 

I  will  say  here  that  my  dear  wife  was  one 
of  the  bravest  of  women. 

She  had  borne  up  bravely  all  through 
my  preparations :  given  all  the  help  and 
encouragement  she  could  possibly  give  with- 
out a  discouraging  word  ;  but  at  the  last 
moment  her  feelings  overcame  her,  as  did 


162      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

mine,  and  the  leave  taking  was  like  tearing 
asunder  our  very  heart  strings. 

As  I  said,  it  was  a  long,  doleful  night.  The 
very  memory  of  it  clings  to  me,  and  I  can 
say,  as  did  Job  of  old,  uLet  darkness  seize 
upon  it :  let  it  riot  be  joined  unto  the  days 
of  the  year,  let  it  not  come  into  the  number 
of  the  months  ;  "  it  was  my  Gethsemane.  I 
felt  then  if  I  could  only  go  back  and  give 
up  this  untried  and  uncertain  expedition,  I 
would  give  anything  in  the  world.  The 
anticipated  fortune  I  cared  nothing  for  as  I 
felt  then ;  but  I  had  gone  too  far  to  back 
out,  and  it  would  be  unmanly  and  dis- 
honorable to  do  so,  or  even  think  of,  and 
so  all  I  had  to  do  was  as  Pizarro  did— 
destroy  the  bridges  behind  so  he  could  not 
retreat. 

It  was  on  the  20th  day  of  May,  1862, 
when  we  passed  Sandy  Hook,  and  found 
ourselves  out  on  the  broad  Atlantic.  It  is 
said  the  bravest  soldiers  feel  shaky,  and 
their  knees  tremble  just  before  going  into  a 
battle;  but  when  the  fight  commences  this 
feeling  all  passes  away,  and  so  it  was  with 
me. 

As  soon  as  we  were  at  sea  and  headed 


CAPE   HATTERAS.  163 

down  the  coast,  this  terrible  feeling  of 
home  and  heart  sickness,  and  terrible  fore- 
bodings passed  away ;  and  I  began  to  feel 
the  responsibility  of  the  situation. 

It  was  a  most  eventful  voyage.  We 
had  head  winds  all  the  way  down  the 
coast  to  Cape  Hatteras.  Some  days  we 
made  scarcely  no  progress  at  all,  though  we 
kept  tacking,  trying  to  gain  a  little  in  this 
way.  I  was  not  very  sea-sick,  just  riled 
enough  to  destroy  my  appetite,  and  the 
sight  of  the  cooking  cabin  and  old  colored 
man  cook  and  his  methods  of  preparing  the 
meals  was  not  calculated  to  tempt  our 
arppetites.  The  gulf  stream,  as  is  well 
known,  is  a  current  some  eight  or  ten  miles 
wide,  running  six  or  eight  miles  an  hour  up 
the  coast,  and  from  ten  to  twenty  miles 
from  shore.  Sailing  vessels  bound  south, 
unless  they  have  a  strong  fair  wind,  try  to 
keep  out  of  the  gulf  stream,  either  outside 
to  sea  or  inside  near  the  coast.  In  our  case 
we  kept  inside,  to  avoid  its  current;  but  the 
constant  head  winds  made  our  progress 
very  slow. 

At  Cape  Hatteras,  the  gulf  stream  runs 
nearer  the  shore  or  point  called  the  cape,  and 


164      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A    LIFETIME. 

much  of  the  space  between  the  gulf  stream 
and  the  shore  is  covered  with  breakers. 
All  steamers  and  heavy  vessels  go  outside 
of  the  gulf  stream,  in  passing  Cape  Hat- 
teras;but  with  our  flat-bottom  schooner  and 
light  freight,  Captain  Eldridge  decided  to 
keep  inside,  as  the  wind  had  then  begun  to 
favor  us,  but  this  decision  came  very  near 
being  fatal.  We  had  noticed  a  gathering 
blackness  in  the  west,  a  little  ominous,  and 
Captain  Eldridge  ordered  on  all  sail,  for  the 
purpose  of  driving  past  the  dangerous  cape 
before  the  storm  should  reach  us.  But  here 
was  his  great  mistake.  The  storm,  which 
proved  to  be  a  tornado,  came  whirling  down, 
striking  us  with  all  our  sails  set,  and  drove 
us  immediately  upon  the  breakers  and  on  our 
beams'  end.  It  was  too  late  then  to  take  in 
the  sails,  and  we  were  whirled  and  pitched 
about  among  the  breakers  like  a  chip  in  a 
boiling  cauldron.  It  was  only  a  few  mo- 
ments before  the  fastening  of  our  main  boom 
gave  way  and  the  boom  came  sweeping 
back  and  forth  over  the  deck.  The  captain 
was  at  the  wheel,  and  I  standing  by  him, 
just  holding  on  with  all  our  might,  when 
the  boom  came  sweeping  towards  us.  We 


TERRIBLE   STORM.  165 

both  dropped  flat  on  the  deck  and  it  passed 
over  us,  but  struck  the  wheel,  breaking  it 
off  even  with  the  deck. 

The  mate  meantime  with  the  sailors, 
were  engaged  cutting  away  the  sails,  which 
they  finally  accomplished,  and  all  our  sails 
were  washed  overboard  and  lost.  This  was 
a  terrible  plight  to  be  in.  The  captain  said 
afterward,  "  The  nastiest  scrape  he  ever  got 
in,  in  all  his  sea  experience." 

While  the  tornado  lasted  (perhaps  three 
quarters  of  an  hour)  all  we  could  do  was  to 
hang  on  to  a  stanchion  or  rail,  or  anything 
we  could  cling  to  to  keep  from  being 
washed  overboard  ;  our  vessel  being  part  of 
the  time  on  top  of  a  breaker,  and  then 
down  in  the  gulf  between  the  breakers  ; 
sometimes  on  her  beams'  end  and  almost 
bottom  up,  whirling  about  in  the  great 
maelstrom  that  seemed  to  have  us  in  its 
clutches. 

There  was  no  use  to  give  any  orders  ; 
nothing  could  be  done  only  to  hang  on, 
which  we  all  did  for  dear  life,  until  the 
gale  was  partly  spent  when  the  genius  of 
our  old  Captain  showed  itself. 

This  Captain    Eldridge    was  a  splendid 


166      EECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

sailor  and  had  some  peculiarities,  one  of 
which  I  will  mention.  Just  before  the  gale 
struck  us  he  reached  his  hand  in  a  little 
entry  way  at  the  door  of  his  cabin  and  took 
out  a  yellow  oilcloth  coat  and  put  it  on, 
buttoning  it  up  to  his  chin  ;  the  two  side 
pockets  were  both  filled  with  fine  cut 
tobacco,  with  which  he  filled  his  mouth.  I 
remember  speaking  with  him  about  it  after 
the  storm,  and  that  he  eat  tobacco  as  a  sheep 
eats  hay,  just  wagging  his  jaw,  letting  the 
juice  run  down  over  his  chin  and  on  his 
clothes,  and  very  frequently  spitting  out  the 
tobacco,  and  filling  his  mouth  again  and 
again  while  the  storm  lasted. 

Yes,  he  said,  he  always  did  this,  and  had 
the  pockets  of  his  storm  coat  always  loaded 
in  case  of  need.  He  said  it  stimulated  him 
and  kept  his  wits  active,  but  it  was  all 
mechanical;  after  he  got  to  chewing,  he  had 
no  recollection  of  changing  the  quids 
though  he  knew  a  pound  of  tobacco  dis- 
appeared in  a  short  time. 

As  soon  as  he  and  the  sailors  could  stand 
without  holding  on,  he  ordered  scantling 
and  a  saw,  and  axe,  and  ropes,  and  soon  had 
a  temporary  wheel  fixed  up  so  we  could  get 


NARROW   ESCAPE.  167 

a  little  steerage  way,  and  after  a  little 
while  he  ordered  more  scantling  and  sails, 
of  which  all  sailing  vessels  carry  some 
extra,  stowed  away  in  a  scupper  in  case  of 
need,  and  they  went  to  work  and  in  an 
hour  we  had  storm  sails  up,  and  the  wind 
came  fair  for  us  and  we  were  soon  past  the 
breakers  and  out  of  danger,  and  at  sunset 
that  night  we  cast  anchor  just  outside  of 
Hatteras  Inlet.  Though  the  sea  was  terri- 
ble, Captain  Eldridge  said  he  had  two  big 
anchors  formerly  used  on  a  much  larger  ves- 
sel, and  he  knew  they  would  hold,  no  matter 
how  the  wind  blew  or  the  sea  tumbled  ;  so 
we  felt  comparatively  safe  and  so  thank- 
ful for  what  we  considered  a  providential 
preservation  from  what  seemed,  a  few  hours 
before,  certain  destruction. 

This  Luther  Bingham,  of  whom  I  have 
spoken,  was  as  line  a  fellow  as  ever  lived, 
and  a  devoted  Christian.  As  I  may  not  have 
occasion  to  speak  of  him  again,  I  will  say 
here,  after  returning  from  this  expedition 
in  the  fall,  he  volunteered  in  the  army ;  was 
appointed  quartermaster  and,  with  his  own 
and  several  other  regiments,  was  sent  to 
Hilton  Head,  S.  C. 


168      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

He  gave  Ms  young  life  to  his  country's 
cause,  and  died  in  the  service  a  year  later, 
loved  by  the  officers  and  soldiers,  and 
was  buried  at  Hilton  Head  with  military 
honors.  His  father,  Rev.  Dr.  Bingham, 
published  a  memorial,  entitled  "The  Young 
Quartermaster,"  in  which  he  speaks  of  this 
terrible  storm  through  which  we  passed, 
and  our  providential  escape. 

After  we  had  dropped  anchors  and  had 
our  supper,  young  Bingham  asked  the  cap- 
tain if  he  had  any  objection  to  having  prayers 
in  the  cabin.  The  captain  gladly  gave  his 
consent,  and  we  all  gathered  there,  the 
captain  and  mate  and  all  the  sailors  that 
could  be  spared.  Young  Bingham  read  one 
of  the  beautiful  psalms,  "God  is  our  ref- 
uge and  strength,  a  very  present  help  in 
trouble  ;  "  and  then  led  in  a  most  touching 
and  appropriate  prayer  in  thankfulness  for 
our  preservation,  and  asking  God  to  keep 
us  and  the  loved  ones  at  home.  Several 
of  us  prayed,  and,  doubtless,  the  most 
heartfelt  prayers  ever  offered,  for  all  felt 
we  had  been  snatched  from  the  very  jaws 
of  death.  Tears  coursed  down  the  cheeks 
of  Captain  Eld  ridge  and  several  of  the 


NARROW    ESCAPE.  169 

rough  sailors,  and  when  they  bade  us  good- 
night as  we  retired  to  our  bunks,  they  shook 
our  hands  as  they  went  to  their  watch  on 
deck. 

We  were  not  so  safe  after  all  as  we  sup- 
posed when  we  cast  our  two  big  anchors. 
Two  or  three  other  sailing  vessels  cast  their 
anchors  in  sight  of  us,  waiting  ,for  the  sea 
to  become  more  calm,  and  for  daylight, 
before  passing  in  the  Inlet.  We  had  noticed 
before  dark  one  of  the  largest  of  these  ves- 
sels was  heavily  loaded,  having  a  locomotive 
and  cars  on  her  deck.  In  the  night,  while 
our  vessel  was  tossing  and  pitching  and 
tugging  at  her  anchors,  the  watchman  on 
deck  came  to  the  cabin-door  screaming, 
"Captain  Eldridge,  come  quick;  a  ship  is 
on  us!"  The  captain  was  on  deck  in  a 
second,  and  I  as  quickly,  and  at  this 
moment  the  heavily  loaded  vessel  drifted 
past  us,  having  broken  loose  from  her 
anchors,  and  grazed  our  vessel,  barely 
touching  it  as  it  passed  and  drifted  out  to 
sea.  I  did  not,  for  the  moment,  realize  our 
danger  until  Captain  Eldridge  and  the 
sailor  both  exclaimed,  " Thank  God!" 
They  said  if  it  had  struck  our  vessel 


170   KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

squarely,  nothing  could  have  saved  us  from 
being  sunk  in  a  moment,  this  vessel  being 
so  large  and  heavy ;  and  our  big,  strong 
anchors  would  have  held,  and  the  weight  of 
the  vessel  would  have  carried  us  down 
instantly.  This  was  another  manifestation 
of  divine  protection. 

Next  morning  a  pilot  came  to  us  in  a 
small  boat  from  shore  in  response  to  our 
signal.  We  raised  our  anchors  and  the  wind 
being  fair  sailed  through  the  Inlet  into 
Pamlico  Sound,  and  thence  up  the  Neuse 
River  to  the  place  of  our  destination, 
Newbern,  N.  C. 

This  city  had  been  captured  by  the  army 
under  General  Burnside  only  a  few  weeks 
before,  after  a  hard  fought  battle  a  few 
miles  from  the  city.  Most  of  the  prominent 
white  inhabitants  had  fled,  leaving  their 
chattels,  including  most  of  their  slaves, 
behind. 

There  were  plenty  of  vacant  stores,  one  of 
which  I  secured,  paying  rent  to  the  United 
States,  through  the  quartermaster  who  had 
the  abandoned  property  in  charge. 

We  filled  this  store  and  began  our  trade. 
The  amount  of  sales  were  not  as  large  as  we 


INCIDENTS   IN    NEWBERN.  171 

had  expected,  but  we  felt  hopeful  that  it 
would  improve,  and  besides  I  expected  to 
open  stores  in  other  places  when  our  army 
could  make  it  safe  to  do  so. 

After  getting  the  business  pretty  well 
established  in  Newbern,  I  began  to  look 
around  for  openings  ;  and  for  this  purpose 
went  up  the  Tar  River  some  hundred  miles 
or  more  from  Newbern  to  Washington,  a 
flourishing  little  city  before  the  war, 
recently  captured  from  the  rebels  and  held 
by  a  couple  of  regiments  and  a  gunboat  in 
the  river.  I  had  no  difficulty  in  securing  a 
vacant  store  and  made  preparation  for 
sending  a  stock  of  goods,  and  two  or  three 
young  men  to  run  it. 

The  rebel  forces  were  stationed  only  a 
few  miles  out,  in  much  larger  force  than 
our  army  in  the  city,  only  our  army 
was  protected  by  the  gunboat  whose  guns 
commanded  the  city.  I  hesitated  about 
taking  the  chances,  and  it  was  very  fortu- 
nate I  did,  as  about  this  time  occurred  the 
defeat  of  McClellan's  army  in  Virginia; 
and  our  forces  in  North  Carolina  were 
reduced  to  two  or  three  regiments  in 
Newbern  and  a  single  regiment  in  Wash- 


172      EECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

ington,  and  notwithstanding  the  protection 
of  the  gunboats,  these  places  were  considered 
very  insecure.  Indeed  Washington,  N.  C., 
was  very  soon  thereafter  recaptured  by  the 
rebels  and  nearly  destroyed  by  fire  and 
shells  from  our  gunboat.  Our  little  army 
and  every  Union  man  there  was  driven  out 
or  captured.  Of  course,  if  I  had  been  estab- 
lished there  the  goods  would  certainly 
have  been  lost,  and  myself  and  my  men 
very  likely  sent  to  a  rebel  prison. 

I  always  considered  this  a  very  narrow 
escape.  On  account  of  this  great  reduction 
of  our  forces,  I  did  not  consider  it  prudent 
to  take  the  risk  of  establishing  any  more 
trading  posts,  except  at  Roanoke  Island. 
This  I  put  in  charge  of  an  experienced 
man  by  name  of  Ray  and  two  helpers. 

During  our  three  months'  stay  in  New- 
bern,  we  were  almost  constantly  expect- 
ing an  attack  from  the  rebels  who  were 
stationed  only  about  two  miles  outside  of 
the  city  in  large  force.  The  sentinels  on 
both  sides  were  near  enough  often  to  con- 
verse together. 

I  was  invited  to  ride  out  with  a  staff 
officer  on  one  occasion.  We  rode  within  plain 


INCIDENTS    IN    NEWBERN.  173 

sight,  less  than  a  mile,  of  the  rebel  lines; 
with  a  glass  we  could  easily  see  their  artil- 
lery and  fortifications  and  the  sentinels  on 
post.  Neither  side  wanted  to  bring  on  a 
battle,  and  so  we  were  not  molested. 

This  state  of  things  continued  during  the 
whole  time  we  were  in  Newbern.  Our 
artillery  used  to  practice  daily  its  tactics 
for  street  fighting  directly  in  front  of  our 
store,  which  was  near  the  junction  of  three 
streets.  We  would  hear  the  bugles  and  then 
the  caissons  and  cannon,  drawn  by  four 
horses  with  riders,  would  come  dashing 
down  the  street  on  a  full  run,  wheel  and  go 
through  all  the  evolutions  of  loading  and 
firing  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

The  men  and  horses  were  trained  to  obey 
the  sounds  of  the  bugle.  It  was  wonderful 
to  watch  the  manoeuvres,  so  quickly  did 
they  plant  themselves  so  as  to  rake  the 
streets  in  all  directions,  and  how  quickly 
they  would  unlimber  and  limber  up  and 
change  their  positions  and  go  to  other 
points,  and  through  the  same  manoeuvres. 
After  sunset  civilians  were  not  allowed  on 
the  street  without  giving  the  pass-word  for 
the  day  to  the  sentinel  of  the  beat.  These 


174   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

sentinels  were  stationed  on  nearly  every 
corner. 

My  young  men  and  myself  always  had 
the  pass-word,  as  we  often  had  occasion  to 
pass  from  the  store  to  our  hotel  after 
sunset.  As  we  would  approach  the  sen- 
tinel he  would  challenge  us,  "Who 
comes  there?"  Our  answer  would  be, 
"Friends  with  the  pass."  He  would  say: 
"Advance  one  and  give  the  pass."  Only 
one  at  a  time  could  be  passed.  The 
word  would  be  the  name  of  some  officer, 
or  some  place  or  some  ship.  We 
could  get  the  word  in  the  morning  from 
some  officer.  Several  officers  boarded  at  the 
the  same  hotel,  the  G-aston  House,  one  of 
the  largest  in  the  city,  which  had  been 
abandoned  by  its  owners  on  the  approach  of 
the  Yankee  army,  and  was  now  kept  by  an 
enterprising  northern  man. 

The  discipline  in  the  city  was  most  strict. 
A  sentinel  at  a  certain  point  in  the  out- 
skirts of  the  city  had  been  fired  on  from  a 
row  of  frame  houses  or  the  shrubbery,  while 
on  his  patrol  in  the  night,  and  had  his  knee 
joint  broken. 

Next  morning  General  Foster,   who  was 


INCIDENTS    IN    NEWBERN.  175 

then  in  command,  ordered  a  search  of 
every  house  in  the  block.  They  all 
declared  they  knew  nothing  about  it.  He 
then  informed  them  that  if  the  person  who 
fired  the  shot  was  not  given  up  during  the 
day,  next  morning,  at  eight  o'clock,  every 
house  in  the  block  would  be  leveled  with 
the  ground. 

They  all  protested  their  innocence  In  one 
house  a  woman  was  sick.  General  Foster 
sent  a  surgeon  to  see  if  she  could  be  moved 
with  safety,  and  he  reported  she  could. 

At  precisely  eight  o'clock  next  morning, 
nearly  a  regiment  of  soldiers,  having  pro- 
vided themselves  with  large  ropes  and 
cables  from  the  shipping,  went  to  the  place 
and  ordered  every  house  to  be  vacated 
immediately,  and  cleared  of  its  furniture  if 
they  desired  to  save  it.  I  saw  the  whole  pro- 
ceeding ;  it  was  pitiable.  Men,  women,  and 
children  carrying  out  their  furniture, 
bedding,  stoves,  crockery,  etc.,  piling  it  up 
in  a  vacant  lot  across  the  street.  Many  of 
them  in  tears  and  wringing  their  hands  in 
despair.  The  soldiers,  with  ladders,  would 
go  up  to  the  top  of  a  corner  post,  cut  or 
tear  off  the  boards,  and  fasten  around  the 


176   EECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

post  the  cable  ;  then  two  or  three  hundred 
soldiers  would  take  hold  of  the  rope,  and 
pull  the  house  down,  and  this  was  con- 
tinued until  all  the  houses — a  half-dozen  or 
more — were  leveled  with  the  ground.  It 
seemed  most  cruel.  I  never  had  my 
sympathies  so  aroused  in  my  life.  Most  of 
these  people  were  certainly  innocent,  and 
possibly  all  of  them.  It  was,  perhaps,  a 
necessary  thing  to  do.  War  is  not  boys' 
play  ;  sentinels  must  be  protected  as  far  as 
possible.  There  was  no  more  firing  from 
ambush  in  that  city,  and  the  inhabitants 
were  as  peaceful  as  kittens  after  this. 

The  port  of  Beaufort,  N.  C.,  was  opened 
and  Fort  Macon  captured  while  I  was  in 
Newbern,  and  the  railroad  between  New- 
bern  and  Beaufort,  some  thirty-five  miles, 
opened,  though  the  enemy  was  in  possession 
of  the  country  between,  except  at  a  few 
points  where  a  small  force  was  stationed. 

A  train  of  cars  was  run  over  this  road 
about  once  a  day  for  supplies,  but  always 
carried  an  armed  force  for  protection.  A 
car  was  fitted  up,  covered  with  iron 
sheathing,  bullet  proof.  This  car  was  called 
"The  Monitor,"  and  had  a  couple  of 


WITHIN   THE   REBEL   LINES.  177 

cannon  i>lanted  at  a  door  in  front  and  on 
each  side,  with  gunners  standing  by  to  repel 
any  attack.  This  car  was  pushed  ahead  of 
the  engine,  and  soldiers  were  also  on  each 
car  behind.  The  cars  were  often  fired  on 
from  ambush  in  passing  through  timber 
and  wild  places. 

I  traveled  over  this  road  twice,  but  on 
neither  occasion  were  we  molested  ;  but  the 
precautions  were  always  the  same. 


178   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 


LETTER  XI. 
MY  DEAR  H.— 

As  you  will  infer  from  my  last  letter 
the  prospect  of  a  very  large  business  in  the 
South  was  not  as  bright  as  I  had  expected. 
The  withdrawal  of  a  large  portion  of  our 
army  from  that  section  to  reinforce  Mc- 
Clellan's  defeated  army  in  Virginia,  and 
the  consequent  great  reduction  in  the 
amount  of  money  circulated,  beside  the 
fear  of  an  attack  by  an  overwhelming  force 
of  rebels,  who  were  constantly  threatening 
us,  in  which  case  the  loss  of  our  goods 
would  have  been  almost  certain,  as  the  city 
would  assuredly  be  set  on  fire  by  one  army 
or  the  other,  or  by  the  shells  of  the  gun- 
boats. 

I,  therefore,  deemed  it  best  not  to 
prolong  our  stay,  and  I  was  glad,  indeed, 
when  the  time  came  to  turn  my  face  home- 
ward. We  had  been  in  a  southern  city 
more  than  three  months,  during  one  of  the 
hottest  summers  I  ever  experienced,  and 
had  suffered  greatly.  Flies,  fleas,  wood- 
ticks,  and  vermin  of  all  kinds  abounded. 


INCIDENTS    IN    NEWBEEN.  179 

Our  hotel  table  was  abundant,  but  the 
cooking  was  simply  villainous  ;  the  kitchen 
being  outside  of  the  hotel,  as  in  most  hotels 
and  houses  in  the  South,  nothing  was  hot 
when  brought  on  the  table,  and  the  waiters 
were  such  as  the  hotel  could  pick  up — poor 
trash,  unwashed  and  unclean.  It  is  not 
strange  that  I  lost  my  appetite  for  all 
sorts  of  food. 

I  thought  I  would  be  safe  on  boiled  eggs  ; 
but  I  remembered  the  story  of  a  man  in  the 
same  condition  who  had  lost  confidence  in 
his  cook.  He  had,  time  and  again,  ordered 
the  cook  to  bring  hash  on  one  plate 
and  hair  on  another,  and  he  could  mix 
them  to  suit  himself ;  and  he  was  finally 
driven  to  eat  only  boiled  eggs,  thinking, 
poor  man,  these  were  safe.  But  one  day, 
when  he  happened  to  see  the  cook  take 
a  hairpin  out  of  her  hair  and  prick  the 
boiled  eggs  to  see  if  they  were  done,  he 
gave  it  up ;  and  so,  in  my  case,  I  just  shut 
my  eyes  and  accepted  whatever  they  gave 
me;  concluding  everything  was  about  as 
bad  as  it  could  be. 

The  cooks  and  waiters  having  curly  heads 
didn't  use  hairpins,  and  they  were  men 


180   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

too ;   but  I  noticed   a  wonderful  sight  of 
head  scratching. 

On  the  Fourth  of  July  we  hired  a  small 
rowboat  and,  with  one  of  the  poor  whites 
for  a  guide,  rowed  down  the  Neuse  River  to 
the  battlefield,  some  five  or  six  miles  from 
Newbern.  This  poor  white  was  in  the 
battle  on  the  Confederate  side.  His  descrip- 
tion of  the  fight  and  the  rebel  panic  was 
very  amusing.  They  had  made  prepara- 
tions for  defense  which  seemed  almost 
impregnable.  A  heavy  breastwork  of  tim- 
ber and  earth  was  thrown  up,  commencing 
at  the  Neuse  River  and  running  over  two 
miles  to  a  swamp ;  and  in  front  of  the 
breastwork  was  a  deep  ditch  filled  with 
water  ;  and  in  front  of  this,  for  a  quarter  or 
third  of  a  mile,  was  fallen  trees,  the  only 
opening  through  which  was  the  railroad 
running  from  Newbern  to  Beaufort.  This 
opening  was  protected  by  their  heaviest 
cannon  and  sharpshooters,  which,  they  sup- 
posed, could  sweep  the  track  of  every  living- 
thing  that  ventured  on  it.  Our  guide 
explained  to  us  how  the  works  were  cap- 
tured. He  said  two  Yanks  rode  out  from 
the  timber  on  the  railroad  track  and,  with 


NEWBERN   BATTLEFIELD.  181 

their  glasses,  surveyed  the  field  a  minute  or 
two,  during  which  time  hundreds  of  shots 
were  fired  at  them.  Soon  they  wheeled  and 
went  back  out  of  sight  in  the  woods ;  but 
immediately  there  appeared  a  dense  column 
of  blue  coats  who,  notwithstanding  the  rak- 
ing fire  from  all  along  their  line,  marched 
right  up  the  track,  through  the  opening, 
and  began  to  fire  on  them  behind  their 
breastworks.  There  was  a  hand-to-hand 
fight  at  close  quarters,  and  the  Yankees 
kept  pressing  through  the  opening,  and 
soon  the  rebels  broke  and  ran  towards 
Newbern,  setting  fire  to  the  bridge  after 
they  had  crossed  it  and  also  to  the  city 
itself  ;  but  the  Yankees,  he  said,  were  at 
their  heels  and  put  out  the  fires  before  they 
got  under  very  great  headway,  and  took 
possession.  A  great  panic  ensued ;  every- 
body that  could  leave  left  instantly,  leaving 
everything  behind.  They  had  considered 
Newbern  safe ;  had  no  idea  the  Yankees 
could  capture  it. 

This  man  was  a  fair  specimen  of  the  poor 
whites  of  the  South — ignorant,  poor,  lazy, 
shiftless.  He  cut  a  bundle  of  small  sticks 
of  sweet,  green  wood,  about  the  size  and 


182      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

length  of  a  lead  pencil.  I  asked  him  what 
he  wanted  to  do  with  them ;  he  said  they 
were  snuff  sticks  for  his  old  woman.  These 
poor  whites,  and  other  natives,  take  snuff 
in  the  mouth — the  cheap,  yellow  Scotch 
snuff.  They  take  one  of  these  sticks  and 
chew  the  end  of  it,  making  it  something 
like  a  brush,  which  they  dip  in  the  snuff 
and  rub  their  teeth  and  gums  with  it,  and 
chew  the  stick  when  filled  with  snuff. 
These  women  and  men,  too,  smoke,  also, 
the  rankest  kind  of  tobacco,  which  they 
raise  themselves,  and  their  pipe  is  usually  a 
corn  cob  dug  out,  with  a  goose  quill  for  a 
stem. 

Their  dialect  is  something  impossible  to 
describe.  In  speaking  of  the  northern  and 
southern  soldiers  they  would  invariably 
say,  uyou'uns"  and  "we'uns." 

While  in  Newbern  I  learned  much  of 
the  internal  history  of  the  slave  system.  I 
said  ' '  internal ; ' '  the  most  proper  word 
would  be  "  infernal." 

This  poor  white,  the  guide  I  spoke  of, 
would  hang  about  our  store,  to  pick  up  a 
few  dimes  we  would  give  him  for  odd  jobs 
occasionally. 


NEWBERN    SLAVE   MARKET.  183 

I  noticed  the  court  house  grounds  had 
pens  around  it,  and  asked  him  what 
they  were  for,  and  he  went  with  me  one 
day  and  explained  about  it.  He  said, 
every  court  week  slaves  were  brought  by 
their  owners  or  speculators,  to  be  sold  at 
auction.  They  were  kept  locked  up  in  these 
pens,  and  brought  out,  one  at  a  time,  and 
stood  on  the  block  in  front  of  the  court 
house,  where  buyers  would  examine  them 
from  head  to  foot.  I  questioned  this  man  as 
to  how  it  was  done.  Oh,  he  said,  they  tried 
his  eyesight,  examined  his  teeth  and  every 
muscle  of  the  body,  stripping  them  nearly 
naked  to  do  so  (men,  women  and  children 
all  the  same),  and  then  they  were  auctioned 
off  to  the  highest  bidder — a  husband  to  one, 
his  wife  to  somebody  else,  and  the  children 
to  anybody  who  would  pay  the  most. 

Often,  he  said,  when  a  husband  or  wife 
were  sold,  they  would  beg  their  new  master 
to  buy,  also,  his  wife  or  her  husband  or  their 
child  or  children. 

Sometimes,  he  said,  this  was  done;  but,  as 
a  rule,  no  attention  was  paid  to  it. 

The  buyer  would  march  his  new  purchase 
off  as  he  would  a  horse  or  a  cow. 


184      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

I  asked  him  if  these  slaves  did  not  some- 
times make  a  hard  time  when  separated. 
Oh  yes  !  he  replied,  they  would  make  a  big 
fuss,  of  course,  but  it  wouldn't  last  long. 
He  said  the  men  would  soon  get  another 
wife,  the  women  another  husband,  and 
forget  all  about  it. 

The  poor  slaves,  however,  would  tell  me  a 
very  different  story.  I  never  heard  or  read 
of  anything  like  the  pitiable  tales  they  told 
me  of  separations.  One  old  colored  woman 
said  her  husband  was  sold  away  from  her 
many  years  before  to  go  South  to  the  cotton 
fields.  The  poor  old  creature  cried  as  if  her 
heart  would  break  while  telling  me.  She 
said  a  colored  man  told  her  he  saw  him  in  a 
chain-gang  marching  South  and  that  was 
the  last  she  ever  heard  of  him.  After  her 
husband  was  sold,  she  said  all  her  children 
were  sold,  the  last  one  being  a  daughter, 
grown  up,  who  was  bought  by  a  man  from 
Richmond,  and  she  had  never  heard  from 
her  since.  And  this  is  only  one  of  many 
similar  tales  told  me  by  these  poor  heart- 
broken creatures. 

It  does  not  seem  possible  to  me  that  these 
things  could  have  been  tolerated  in  the 


THE   SLAVE   SYSTEM.  185 

nineteenth  century  in  Christian  America, 
and  not  only  tolerated,  but  excused  and 
apologized  for,  and  sanctioned  by  some 
Christian  people,  and  even  ministers  of  the 
gospel. 

All  these  things  happened  less  than  a 
third  of  a  century  ago,  and  yet  it  is  hard  to 
believe  anything  short  of  the  Dark  Ages 
could  have  tolerated  such  wickedness.  Not 
only  "the  sum  of  all  villainies,"  as  good 
Charles  Wesley  branded  it,  it  was  dia- 
bolical, inhuman,  an  outrage  upon  every 
instinct  of  humanity. 

The  prejudice  against  colored  people, 
even  at  the  North,  was  something  terrible. 
A  colored,  man  or  woman,  however  respect- 
able, was  not  allowed  to  ride  in  any  of  the 
public  conveyances.  The  street  cars  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  chartered  by  the  great 
state  of  New  York  to  carry  passengers, 
carried  the  sign  in  large  letters:  "Colored 
persons  not  allowed  in  this  car."  While 
any  half  drunken  vagabond,  no  matter  how 
filthy,  could  always  find  a  seat.  What  a 
travesty  on  Christianity  and  Civilization  ! 

During  reconstruction  times,  when  the 
rebel  states  had  no  voice  in  making  the 


186   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

laws,  it  was  proposed  to  do  a  little  some- 
thing to  help  the  freedmen  get  a  start,  and 
for  this  purpose  an  organization  was  formed, 
composed  of  men  of  unimpeachable  char- 
acter, which  was  called  "The  Freedman's 
Bureau.'* 

To  the  ignorant  negro  haters  of  the  North, 
the  very  name  of  " Freedman's  Bureau"  was 
like  a  red  flag  to  a  mad  bull.  Demagogues 
used  it  in  their  speeches  to  their  followers. 

They  made  many  of  the  ignorant  voters 
believe  that  the  u  Freedman's  Bureau"  was 
organized  for  the  purpose  of  "giving  every 
d d  nigger  a  bureau." 

A  far  different  feeling  prevails  all  over 
the  country  to-day.  Scarcely  an  apologist 
for  slavery  can  be  found,  and  the  revilers 
of  President  Lincoln  now  pretend  to  revere 
his  memory. 

As  I  said,  we  concluded  it  best  to  close 
up  the  business,  which  we  did  by  selling 
out  part  of  our  stock  of  goods  to  a  party  in 
Newbern,  and  shipping  the  balance  back  to 
New  York,  and  I  was  glad  enough  to  set 
my  face  toward  home,  and  to  meet  the  dear 
ones  from  whom  the  separation  had  seemed 
an  age.  The  net  profits  of  the  expedition 


RETURN    HOME.  187 

were  not  what  I  had  expected,  yet  the 
experience  and  observation  on  the  border 
line,  between  the  two  gigantic  forces,  with 
the  excitement  and  deep  interest  in  the 
great  struggle,  was  an  event  of  a  lifetime 
never  to  be  forgotten. 

I  felt  the  deepest  sympathy  for  the  pogr 
slaves  who  had  been  abandoned  by  their 
masters,  and  were  in  such  mortal  fear 
these  masters  would  return  with  the  rebel 
army  and  drive  the  Yankees  out,  and  make 
them  slaves  again. 

Our  negro  man,  Jacob,  whom  we  had  to 
sweep  and  do  odd  jobs,  begged  me  to  take 
him  with  me  to  the  North.  He  called  me 
' '  massa, ' '  and  begged  so  hard,  I  had  almost 
a  mind  to  bring  him  ;  but  not  knowing  what 
I  could  do  with  him,  had  to  leave  him.  He 
was  a  good  faithful  fellow  but  so  childlike. 
He  was  suddenly  attacked  one  day  with 
colic  pains ;  had  probably  drank  too  much 
ice  water,  something  he  had  been  unused 
to.  I  gave  him  a  little  brandy,  of  which  we 
had  a  small  demijohn  in  case  of  sickness. 

After  this,  Jacob  was  very  often  taken 
with  colic  pains,  and  a  little  brandy  always 
relieved  him  at  once. 


188   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

I  had  occasion  to  visit  Newbern  again, 
twenty  years  after,  spending  several  days 
at  the  same  hotel,  the  "  Gaston  House." 
I  met  some  of  the  old  inhabitants,  whom  I 
had  seen  before,  but  they  were  mostly 
returned  refugees  and  new  men. 

.They  professed  loyalty  to  the  govern- 
ment, said  they  were  glad  they  did  not  suc- 
ceed in  establishing  the  confederacy  they 
fought  for ;  expressed  satisfaction  that  the 
system  of  slavery  was  done  away  with. 
Some,  however,  took  the  other  view  and 
mourned  uthe  lost  cause." 

The  magnanimity  of  our  government  was 
something  wonderful .  in  permitting  these 
rebels  and  traitors,  who  had  taken  up  arms 
against  the  government,  killing  its  defen- 
ders and  firing  on  the  flag  of  their  country, 
to  return  to  their  homes  and  have  all  the 
rights  of  loyal  citizens.  It  was  something 
unheard  of  in  any  country  or  age.  By 
making  an  example  of  a  few  of  the  ring- 
leaders would,  no  doubt,  have  been  healthy 
and  had  good  effect. 

The  necessarily  increased  taxes  caused 
some  dissatisfaction  among  men  whose 
patriotism  was  held  lightly,  and  free  fran- 


MAGNANIMITY   OF   GOVERNMENT.       189 

chise  to  those  lately  in  arms  did,  at  the 
ballot-box,  what  they  could  not  do  in  the 
tield — defeated  the  party  who  had  saved 
the  country,  and,  of  course,  nobody  was 
punished. 

On  the  other  hand,  many  of  the  rebels 
were  returned  to  Congress  arid  to  the  Sen- 
ate, and  made  governors  of  states,  and 
judges  to  administer  the  law. 

At  this  writing,  a  judge  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  who  was  a  rebel  general,  and 
who  acknowledged  he  spent  ten  thousand 
dollars  for  his  election,  still  mourns  "The 
Lost  Cause. ' ' 

How  many  lives  must  be  laid  to  this 
man's  hands  and  others  like  him,  and 
awful  suffering,  and  millions  of  money 
expended  ;  and  yet  he  sits  in  the  seat  of 
justice  instead  of  having  to  stand  on  a 
scaffold,  as  has  many  and  many  a  man  far 
less  guilty. 

On  my  return  from  this  expedition  the 
firm  acceded  to  my  request,  and  .  I  was 
placed  on  a  commission  footing  with  the 
proviso,  however,  that  I  would,  during 
slack  periods  of  trade,  go  out,  if  they 
desired,  to  look  after  and  settle  doubtful 


190      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A    LIFETIME. 

claims ;  for  which  they  would  pay  me  a 
liberal  compensation.  This  was  a  satisfac- 
tory arrangement  for  both,  and  continued 
for  several  years,  until  the  firm  retired 
from  business.  They  found  it  necessary, 
however,  to  have,  and  did  employ  espe- 
cially for  this  purpose,  a  lawyer ;  so  that, 
except  in  a  few  cases,  I  was  relieved  from 
this  undesirable  business. 

I  employed  an  assistant,  my  trade  having 
increased  to  warrant  it,  and  for  several 
years  I  had  no  reason  to  complain.  I 
applied  myself  as  closely  to  business  as 
before,  though  I  felt  independent  to  go  and 
come  as  I  pleased. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  go  into  detail  in 
these  letters  about  business  matters,  only 
as  some  of  the  incidents  of  my  life  are 
connected  therewith. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  our  house  did 
quite  a  large  trade  in  the  reconstructed 
southern  states  and  took  risks,  some  of 
which  proved  to  be  very  unfortunate.  One 
of  these  was  in  Richmond,  Va.,  where  a 
customer  failed,  owing  us  a  large  amount. 
It  was  a  dishonest  failure — an  outright 
attempted  swindle.  Our  lawyer  was  sent 


VISIT   RICHMOND,    VA.  191 

there  and,  in  a  day  or  two,  telegraphed  for 
me  to  come  immediately.  I  went  home  and, 
while  hurriedly  preparing  to  go  by  the  first 
evening  train,  my  wife  said  she  wished  she 
was  going  too.  This  was  only  a  little  more 
than  a  year  after  the  close  of  the  war  and 
capture  of  Richmond.  We  had  read  and 
heard  so  much  about  Richmond  and  Libby 
Prison  and  the  capital  of  the  Confederacy 
that  she,  as  well  as  myself,  desired  to  see 
the  historic  city. 

When  she  suggested  it  I  at  once  fell 
in  with  the  idea,  and  said:  "Yes,  if  you 
can  get  ready  to  go  by  the  evening  train, 
and  take  only  hand  baggage,  I  would  be 
delighted  to  have  you  go." 

I  need  not  say  she  was  ready  on  time  ; 
that  was  one  thing  my  dear  wife  never 
failed  in — she  never  kept  anybody  waiting 
for  her,  or  ever  missed  a  train.  She  could 
always  meet  an  emergency,  and  was  always 
on  time. 

We  took  the  night  train  via  Washington, 
arriving  in  that  city  at  daylight  next 
morning,  and  took  train  for  Richmond  via 
Grordonsville,  Manassas,  and  Bull  Run 
battle  field,  the  section  where  was  fought 


192   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

the  first  battle  of  the  war.  Battle  fields  have 
always  been  to  me  places  of  the  deepest 
interest.  They  bring  to  my  mind,  very 
vividly,  scenes  of  thrilling  interest  where 
thousands  and  scores  of  thousands  of  men, 
with  all  the  deadly  appliances  of  destruc- 
tion, struggle  with  other  scores  of  thousands 
equally  equipped,  the  very  demons  of 
destruction.  Often  the  fate  of  nations  and 
unborn  millions  hang  upon  the  result.  It 
was  especially  so  in  this  Bull  Run  battle. 
I  shall  never  forget  that  day,  when  the 
bulletins  and  extras  announced  the 
expected  battle  had  come  off,  and  our  army 
had  been  defeated  with  terrible  loss  of  life. 
It  was  so  unexpected,  and  it  so  encouraged 
the  enemy  and  the  Copperheads  all  over 
the  country,  and  so  discouraged  loyal 
people ;  it  did  seem  that  everything  was 
lost. 

It  was,  however,  the  very  thing  that  was 
needed  to  arouse  the  North  to  the  crisis 
that  was  impending.  Hitherto,  they  had 
supposed  it  was  something  that  could  be 
put  down  in  a  few  weeks,  and  only  a  police 
force  was  necessary.  But  this  Bull  Run 
battle  removed  the  cloud  from  the  horizon, 


BULL   RUN   BATTLEFIELD.  193 

and  showed  the  desperate  situation  of  the 
country,  that  even  the  capital  of  the 
nation  was  in  danger  ;  and  such  an  uprising 
as  followed  was,  perhaps,  never  seen  before 
in  the  history  of  the  world.  It  was  with 
the  remembrance  of  this  feeling  that  I 
viewed  this  historic  battlefield,  its  ravines 
and  wooded  slopes  which  the  rebels  had 
well  chosen  for  defensive  warfare. 

As  we  approached  Richmond,  it  seemed 
every  station  had  its  history  and  the  whole 
country  around  was  a  vast  battlefield — at 
least  strategic  points  of  more  or  less  interest. 

At  Gfordonsville  where  we  dined  and 
were  obliged  to  stay  some  two  hours  to 
make  connections,  we  fell  in  with  a  gentle- 
man and  his  wife  from  Washington,  going 
to  Richmond.  At  this  gentleman's  sugges- 
tion, he  telegraphed  to  the  Spotswood  Hotel, 
the  proprietor  being  a  relative  of  his,  for 
rooms  for  himself  and  wife,  and  also  for  us, 
— he  expressed  it  in  his  dispatch,  ' '  a  gentle- 
man and  his  wife  from  New  York,"  as  it 
was  reported  Richmond  hotels  were  over- 
crowded, the  state  convention  being  in 
session  and  other  attractions  in  the  city  at 
that  time. 


194   EECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

On  our  arrival  at  the  hotel  in  the  evening, 
we  found  the  very  best  room  in  the  house 
ready  for  us,  with  a  glowing  grate  fire  and 
most  obsequious  attention.  It  was  the  same 
room  occupied  by  Jeff.  Davis  and  wife,  and 
where  many  of  the  state  papers  were 
prepared  by  the  Confederate  president, 
and  where  he  was  wont  to  meet  with  his 
cabinet  ministers. 

This  hotel  was  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
South  at  that  time,  but  was  destroyed  by 
fire  soon  after. 

It  was  the  time  of  reconstruction,  and  the 
state  convention  was  in  session  to  make  a 
new  constitution  for  the  state,  and  to  codify 
and  make  new  laws  for  the  new  order  of 
things. 

This  convention  was  composed  largely  of 
colored  men  and  ex-slaves,  while  their 
ex-masters  and  many  ex-rebel  generals  and 
other  officers  congregated  at  the  hotel  to 
swear  and  curse  the  government  "for 

allowing  the  d d  niggers  to  sit  in  their 

state  house  to  make  their  laws." 

I  had  many  discussions  with  this  class  of 
men,  talking  very  plainly  the  things  that 
were  uppermost  in  my  mind  to  say,  and 


195 

what  they  had  not  been  accustomed  to  hear, 
and  what  would  have  been  unsafe  in  former 
times  to  say  anywhere  in  the  South. 

I  knew  they  were  powerless  for  harm  ; 
their  sting  had  been  extracted  ;  they  could 
"  cuss  "  and  that  was  about  all  they  dared 
to  do. 

On  the  train  from  Richmond  were  several 
of  these  men  beside  three  or  four  colored 
delegates  ;  it  being  Saturday  the  convention 
had  adjourned  over  Sunday.  We  had  had 
a  discussion  on  the  cars  and  at  Gordons- 
ville  where  we  dined,  and  were  detained 
two  or  three  hours,  the  discussion  became 
quite  animated,  the  colored  people  were 
all  on  the  alert  to  catch  every  word.  These 
men  blamed  the  government  for  its  recon- 
struction methods,  especially  for  allowing 
their  "niggers"  to  vote  and  to  make 
laws  for  them,  and  for  the  hard  condi- 
tions it  exacted,  and  they  went  so  far  as 
to  argue  that  they  were  not  defeated,  but 
compromised  when  they  gave  up  fight- 
ing, and  might  have  continued  the  war 
indefinitely. 

I  replied  that  as  to  the  matter  of  allowing 
the  colored  people  to  make  the  laws,  all  the 


196   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

government  required  was  that  loyal  men 
should  make  and  administer  the  laws,  and 
if  such  could  not  be  found  among  the 
whites,  they  must  take  the  blacks ;  as 
loyalty  to  the  government  was  the  first 
condition,  and  the  colored  people  were 
known  to  be  loyal. 

And  as  to  the  matter  which  they  asserted 
that  they  were  not  defeated,  but  had 
compromised  with  the  usual  and  liberal 
conditions  of  war,  I  replied  that  no 
people  in  any  age  of  the  world  had  ever 
continued  to  fight  as  did  the  South  when 
it  was  known  to  all  the  world  they  were 
whipped ;  'that  every  chance  of  success 
had  left  them  more  than  two  years  before 
they  surrendered,  and  only  just  brute 
courage  and  obstinacy  held  them  up  to 
the  fighting  mark.  But  as  they  had  allowed 
their  courage,  which  was  the  best  part  of 
them,  to  mislead  their  judgment  they  must 
take  the  consequences  and  not  blame  the 
government  which  was  far  more  liberal  than 
they  deserved. 

The  colored  porter,  who  had  taken  our 
baggage  from  the  station  to  the  hotel  and 
had  carried  it  back  to  the  depot,  refused  to 


VISIT   LIBBY   PRISON.  197 

accept  the  money  I  handed  him,  though  I 
pressed  it  upon  him.  "No,  massa,"  he 
said,  "  I  will  not  take  any  pay  from  you  ;  I 
like  the  way  you  talk  -to  dese  men."  He 
reached  out  and  shook  my  hand  with  a 
grip  that  meant  what  he  said. 

While  in  Richmond,  myself  and  wife 
visited  Libby  prison  which  had  been  left  in 
the  same  condition  as  when  our  poor  boys 
were  shut  up  there.  It  was  then  in  charge 
of  Union  officers  who  showed  us  the 
different  rooms,  and  the  window  where 
several  prisoners  had  been  shot  for  looking 
out  to  get  a  breath  of  fresh  air ;  also,  the 
underground  passage  which  the  prisoners 
had  dug  to  escape  and  were  recaptured, 
brought  back,  kept  in  dark "  dungeons  and 
nearly  starved  to  death. 

As  I  said  we  spent  a  week  in  Richmond. 
The  business  which  called  me  there  was 
finally  arranged,  the  preferred  family  cred- 
itors waiving  their  claims  under  the  assign- 
ment, so  that  we  got  a  fair  percentage  of 
our  claim,  and  on  Saturday  morning  we 
left  for  Washington.  Arriving  there  on 
Saturday  evening,  we  went  to  the  National 
Hotel  and  spent  three  or  four  days  in  that 


198      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A    LIFETIME. 

city.  Andrew  Johnson  was  then  president, 
and  William  H.  Seward,  secretary  of  state. 
We  attended  a  public  reception  at  the 
White  House,  a  brilliant  affair;  so  many 
foreign  ministers  and  officers  in  their 
official  regalia,  officials  from  every  depart- 
ment of  our  own  government,  ladies  most 
richly  dressed,  wearing  fortunes  in  dia- 
monds and  real  laces.  The  president  and 
his  daughter  received  with  grace  and  court- 
esy. I  shook  hands  with  him  with  a  very 
different  feeling  from  the  honest  hand  of 
the  great  and  good  President  Lincoln, 
which  I  had  shaken  in  the  same  place  five 
years  before.  What  a  history  the  country 
had  passed  through,  and  what  changes  had 
been  wrought  'during  that  time  ! 


AN   ORIGINAL    MUGWUMP.  199 

LETTER  XII. 
MY  DEAR   H.— 

The  years  immediately  following  the  close 
of  the  war  were  years  of  great  political 
excitement  arid  anxiety.  President  Johnson 
had  changed  from  a  radical  Republican  as 
he  seemed  to  be  when  he  was  nominated 
and  elected  vice-president,  to  an  out-and- 
out  Obstructionist,  opposing  all  the  recon- 
struction measures  of  the  Republican  party 
— an  original  Mugwump. 

The  excitement  throughout  the  country 
was  about  as  great  as  it  was  during  the  war. 

The  country,  however,  was  too  strong  and 
solid  to  be  set  back  by  any  one  man,  even 
though  that  man  was  president,  and  when 
General  Grant  was  triumphantly  elected  in 
1868,  confidence  was  fully  restored,  and  the 
nation  soon  in  the  full  tide  of  prosperity. 
Business  was  good,  the  country  felt  almost 
a  new  life  and  the  future  looked  bright  and 
promising. 

The  firm,  with  whom  I  had  been  so 
pleasantly  and  confidentially  connected  for 
more  than  fourteen  years,  stood  amongst 


200   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

the  highest  and  soundest  in  credit  and 
reputation  and  in  the  amount  of  its  business, 
aggregating  in  the  neighborhood  of 
eighteen  million  dollars  a  year.  No  house 
in  the  city  or  nation  stood  higher.  I  felt 
proud  to  be  connected  with  it  and  especially 
so,  that  I  had  the  promise  and  expectation 
of  becoming  a  partner  at  the  expiration  of 
the  old  partnership  in  a  little  more  than  a 
year.  - 

This  was  something  I  had  been  working 
for.  For  years  I  had  devoted  my  best  ener- 
gies to  further  the  interest  of  the  house  in 
every  way  in  my  power,  and  I  felt  that  both 
the  interest  of  the  house  and  my  own  would 
be  greatly  benefited  by  it. 

What  then  was  my  astonishment  on 
going  to  the  store  the  day  after  Christmas, 
1868,  to  be  told  by  the  head  of  the  house 
they  had  failed  and  made  an  assignment. 
A  clap  of  thunder  out  of  a  clear  sky  or  any 
other  unnatural  or  unlocked  for  occur- 
rence, could  not  have  been  more  astonishing. 

I  could  not  believe  it  possible;  I  knew  the 
house  had  been  prosperous.  Their  credit 
never  was  better;  it  was  practically  unlimited 
not  only  in  our  country  but  in  all  the 


FAILURE   OF   OUR   FIRM.  201 

markets  of  Europe.  They  had  the  soundest 
and  safest  customers  in  the  country  and 
everything  betokened  prosperity  and  safety. 
In  a  moment  my  expectations  were  blasted, 
though  I  felt  thankful  that  my  desires  of  a, 
partnership  had  not  been  accomplished.  I 
was  yet  a  free  man,  not  a  bankrupt.  That 
was  something  I  never  had  nor  never 
have  experienced,  but  the  anticipation  of 
being  a  partner  in  such  a  house,  in  which  I 
had  spent  so  many  of  the  best  years  of 
my  life  in  such  pleasant  and  confidential 
relations,  had  been  my  guiding  star  for 
years,  and  to  have  that  star  suddenly 
eclipsed  was  a  stunning  blow. 

I  will  say  here,  it  was  not  on  account  of 
the  business  of  the  house  that  caused  the 
failure,  but  outside  speculations ;  something 
that  surprised  and  astonished  the  city  and 
the  business  world,  as  every  member  of  the 
firm  was  supposed  to  be  the  most  conserva- 
tive and  careful  in  the  trade. 

The  firm  expected,  however,  to  arrange 
matters  very  soon — to  reorganize  and  con- 
tinue the  business.  They  urged  me  to 
remain  with  them  for  six  months  under 
this  expectation  ;  but  they  were  unable  to 


202      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A    LIFETIME. 

accomplish  it  and,  on  the  first  of  July, 
1869,  they  finally  abandoned  the  effort  and 
I  had  to  make  other  arrangements. 

I  had  no  difficulty  in  making  satisfac- 
tory connection  with  another  large  house. 
Indeed,  I  could  have  made  the  same  arrange- 
ments with  any  house  in  the  city  ;  but  I 
selected  to  go  with  the  house  of  Cochran, 
McLean  &  Co.,  a  new  firm,  with  a  large 
special  capital.  My  arrangement  was  on  a 
commission  basis,  which  I  much  preferred 
to  a  salary,  and  I  remained  with  this  house 
seven  years,  until  they  retired  from  busi- 
ness, when  I  went  with  the  house  of  Dun- 
ham, Buckley  &  Co.,  also  a  large,  wealthy 
firm,  under  the  same  arrangement  of  a 
commission. 

I  remained  with  this  house  only  about 
three  years.  It  was  a  pleasant  connection, 
but  I  had  ceased  to  have  any  desire  to  be  a 
partner  in  any  dry  goods  house ;  my  faith 
had  been  shaken  and  I  distrusted  them  all. 

I  was,  therefore,  on  the  lookout  for  some 
other  business  if  any  that  seemed  feasible 
should  offer.  In  the  fall  of  1879  such  a 
business  seemed  to  offer  and,  in  company 
with  my  cousin,  Rev.  Levi  S.  Weed  and 


A   TRIP  TO   EUROPE.  203 

several  other  gentlemen,  we  purchased  a 
patent  and  an  established  manufacturing 
business  for  making  pressed  veneer  wood 
plates  for  the  use  of  grocers,  bakers,  con- 
fectioners, etc.,  with  factories  at  Newbern, 
N.  C.,  Georgetown,  Del.  and  Sunderland, 
Vt. 

We  had  the  company  incorporated  under 
the  name  of  "  The  Smith  &  Stevens  Mfg. 
Co."  of  which  I  was  secretary,  treasurer, 
and  general  manager  for  five  years,  the 
term  for  which  I  agreed  to  hold  this 
position.  At  the  expiration  of  this  time  or 
a  few  months  later,  on  the  first  day  of 
January,  1885,  I  retired  from  its  manage- 
ment, and  from  all  active  business,  having 
been  engaged  in  business  nearly  fifty  years, 
without  scarcely  any  cessation  during  all 
that  time.  I  desired  a  change,  if  not  a 
rest,  and  felt  glad  to  be  relieved. 

During  my  management  of  this  business, 
it  was  thought  best  by  the  directors  of  the 
company  to  see  if  a  market  could  not  be 
opened  for  our  goods  in  Europe,  and  it  was 
deemed  advisable  that  I  should  go  abroad 
and  see  what  could  be  done. 

Accordingly,  I  made  arrangements,  and 


204   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

with  my  wife  sailed  on  the  steamship 
Egypt,  of  the  National  line,  the  last  of 
March,  1883. 

The  health  of  my  wife  at  this  time  was 
not  good,  and  we  thought  the  trip  would 
benefit  her. 

It  was  new  experience  for  both  of  us  and, 
aside  from  a  terrible  storm  at  sea,  very 
enjoyable. 

On  our  outward  voyage,  when  off  the 
Banks  of  Newfoundland,  a  terrible  storm 
struck  us  about  dark,  and  raged  during  the 
night ;  a  regular  March  blizzard,  growing 
into  almost  a  hurricane  before  morning. 

Every  port  hole  was  closed,  the  cabin 
doors  battened,  skylights  covered,  and 
every  preparation  made  for  a  cyclone,  and 
we  came  pretty  near  having  it.  There  was 
not  much  sleep  that  night ;  we  could  hear 
the  great  waves  dash  against  and  over  our 
ship,  making  her  tremble  from  stem  to 
stern.  One  giant  wave  fell  so  heavy  on 
her  deck  as  to  break  the  skylight,  the  glass 
being  an  inch  thick  and  covered  with  heavy 
canvass. 

A  great  body  of  water  came  through 
down  into  the  dining  cabin,  carrying  with 


STORM    AT   SEA.  205 

it  the  swing  shelf,  containing  glass  and 
china  ware  and  dishes,  making  a  terrible 
crash  and  clatter.  We  could  hear  over  our 
heads  the  tramping  of  the  sailors,  the 
rattling  of  cordage,  the  thumping  of  the 
engine,  and  could  feel  the  ship  part  of  the 
time  submerged  under  the  water,  and  again 
on  top  of  a  giant  wave,  which  was  indicated 
by  the  peculiar  whirr  of  the  screw  as  it 
was  lifted  out  of  the  sea.  It  was  an  awful 
night,  and  next  day  was  almost  as  bad. 
Nobody  attempted  to  leave  their  state- 
rooms, nor  was  any  attempt  made  to  set  any 
table  for  meals.  The  stewards  and 
stewardesses  would  bring  the  passengers,  to 
their  staterooms,  pitchers  of  bouillon  and 
soup  and  crackers,  and  a  little  tempting 
food,  but  there  was  not  much  appetite  on 
that  ship. 

An  English  gentleman  and  his  wife,  who 
had  crossed  the  Atlantic  twenty-six  times, 
said  they  never  experienced  anything  like  it. 

During  the  day  this  gentleman  attempted 
to  go  out  of  his  stateroom  into  the  cabin 
and,  missing  his  hold  of  the  rail,  was  thrown 
violently  across  the  cabin  against  a  post ; 
injuring  him  severely,  cutting  his  forehead 


206   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

badly  and  nearly  closing  one  of  his  eyes.  He 
was  a  pitiable  object  to  see.  Next  day, 
while  the  sea  was  still  very  rough,  his  wife 
attempted  to  go  to  the  stewards'  room  with 
a  pitcher  to  get  some  ale.  She  managed,  by 
holding  on  to  the  railing,  to  get  the  pitcher 
filled  and  get  back  as  far  as  their  state- 
room door.  This  door  was  directly  opposite 
our  stateroom  door,  a  narrow  passage  way 
separating;  my  wife  and  myself  were  sitting 
up  holding  on  to  the  edge  of  our  berths. 
There  was  a  lurch  of  the  ship  just  as  this 
woman  entered  the  door  of  their  stateroom 
and  she,  at  the  moment  not  having  hold  of 
any  support,  was  pitched  headlong  directly 
against  her  husband  who,  poor  man,  was 
sitting  up,  nursing  his  bandaged  head  and 
eye  ;  the  pitcher  striking  him  squarely  in 
the  face  and  blackening  his  other  eye, 
spilling  the  whole  contents  of  the  pitcher 
on  his  face  and  neck.  He  did  not  take  it 
as  a  joke,  nor  did  she ;  they  both  used 
some  expression  that  sounded  much  like 
"cuss  words,"  while  my  wife  and  I, 
although  we  were  both  seasick,  couldn't 
help  but  laugh;  though  careful  not  to  let 
them  see  us.  We  enjoyed  many  a  hearty 


INCIDENTS   ON    SHIPBOARD.  207 

laugh  about  it  since.  It  was  no  laughing 
matter  to  them  ;  they  were  two  of  the  most 
forlorn  passengers  the  rest  of  the  voyage  on 
that  ship.  The  man  was  under  the  care  of  the 
surgeon  until  we  landed,  and  the  woman 
never  smiled. 

When  the  passengers  were  allowed  to  go 
up  on  deck  the  sea  was  still  rough  and 
looked  so  frightful  and  angry.  The 
passengers  told  their  experience  to  each 
other  and  how  frightened  they  were,  and  of 
their  mishaps  trying  to  sit  up  in  their  state- 
rooms or  get  out  in  the  cabin. 

One  timid  lady  called  the  captain  when 
he  was  passing,  to  enquire  how  far  we  were 
from  land.  "Oh,"  he  said,  "  he  guessed 
about  three  or  four  miles."  "  Good !  good ! " 
said  the  lady,  "I'm  so  glad  we'll  soon  be 
there."  "But,"  he  said,  pointing  down,  "it 
is  three  or  four  miles  in  this  direction." 
Such  a  look  of  disgust  as  came  over  that 
woman's  face  !  I  was  reminded  of  a  story 
about  a  lot  of  ministers  who  came  over  to 
attend  the  evangelical  alliance,  and  on 
going  back  were  overtaken  by  a  terrible 
storm  and  expected  surely  to  go  to  the 
bottom. 


208      RECOLLECTIONS  OF   A   LIFETIME. 

They  concluded,  however,  that  something 
ought  to  be  done ;  some  preparation  for 
such  an  event ;  but  first  thought  they  had 
better  find  out  from  the  captain  whether 
there  was  any  hope,  and  appointed  a  dele- 
gation of  their  number  to  see  the  captain 
about  it.  The  captain  referred  them  to  the 
sailors,  saying  that  they  knew  just  as  much 
about  it  as  he  did. 

They  went  forward  among  the  sailors,  and 
found  them  in  the  forecastle  swearing,  and 
reported  this  to  the  captain.  The  captain 
asked  them  if  they  supposed  they  would  be 
swearing  if  they  thought  the  ship  was  going 
to  the  bottom.  Why,  no ;  they  thought 
not,  and  so  they  reported  to  the  rest  of  the 
ministers.  After  this  the  delegation  would 
go  forward  every  few  minutes  come  back 
and  report,  "  Thank  Grod  !  they  are  swearing 
yet;"  so  while  the  sailors  kept  swearing 
they  felt  safe. 

We  felt  very  happy  on  the  eighth  day 
out,  when  the  coast  range  of  Ireland  rose 
just  above  the  horizon  in  the  distance,  and 
feeling  that  we  were  almost  across  the 
dreary  waste  of  waters.  Next  day  we 
landed  in  Liverpool,  where  we  had  our  first 


RAILROAD    INCIDENTS.  209 

experience  of  custom  house  examination, 
and  this  only  to  see  if  we  had  spirituous 
liquors,  tobacco  or  cigars.  Of  course  we 
had  none,  and  easily  passed. 

After  a  day  or  two  in  Liverpool,  we  took 
the  express  train,  on  the  Great  Northern 
Railroad,  for  London.  We  began  imme- 
diately to  see  the  difference  between  the 
cars  iii  England ;  and,  indeed,  it  is  the 
same  in  all  European  countries.  They  have 
compartments.  Instead  of  entering  the  car 
at  either  end,  as  in  our  country,  they  have 
the  doors  opening  on  the  sides  into  each 
compartment,  the  seats  facing  each  other; 
two  seats  in  a  compartment  holding  six  or 
seven  persons  each,  and  no  communication 
between  the  compartments.  We  had  a 
little  experience  of  this  compartment  busi- 
ness while  traveling  in  Germany.  Stopping 
for  a  meal — on  going  back  to  our  car 
we  stepped  into  the  wrong  compartment. 
Before  the  cars  started,  a  high  official, 
dressed  in  military  with  sash  and  epaulets, 
came  to  the  door,  and  though  we  didn't 
understand  his  words,  we  understood,  by 
his  gestures,  he  desired  us  to  get  out  of 
the  car.  We  started  to  do  so  when  he 


210      RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A   LIFETIME. 

motioned  my  wife  to  remain,  and  pointed 
to  another  compartment  for  me  to  go  in. 
Of  course  my  wife  went  with  me.  I  in- 
quired of  an  English  speaking  gentleman, 
what  it  meant ;  he  informed  me  that  there 
were  compartments  set  apart  especially  for 
women  traveling  without  male  escorts, 
and  that  happened  to  be  the  one  so  set 
apart.  While  we  were  talking  about  it, 
this  official  came  to  the  door,  and  in  Ger- 
man— which  the  gentleman  who  I  was  talk- 
ing with  translated — very  politely  informed 
us  that  there  were  no  such  women  going 
in  that  compartment  and  we  could  occupy 
it,  which  we  did,  and  for  several  hours 
were  the  only  passengers  in  that  compart- 
ment. 

On  arriving  in  London,  we  took  a  cab  for 
a  boarding  house  in  Woburn  Square  which 
had  been  recommended  to  us,  and  found  it 
a  pleasant  place  and  our  fellow  boarders 
very  congenial,  where  we  remained  some 
two  weeks ;  and  again,  on  our  return  from 
the  Continent,  two  months  later,  we  spent 
two  weeks  more.  The  four  weeks  we  spent 
in  London  were  very  pleasant  and  enjoy- 
able. 


SIGHTS   IN    LONDON.  211 

There  were  many  places  in  London  of 
great  interest  to  us — old  historic  places. 
I  will  mention  a  few.  The  British  Museum 
was  one  which  we  visited  several  times. 
Its  old  manuscripts  and  parchments,  dating 
back  to  the  times  of  the  Pharaohs ;  its  coins, 
dating  back  to  before  the  Christian  Era ;  its 
tablets,  excavated  from  the  old  ruins  of 
Babylon,  Nineveh  and  Pompeii ;  its  ancient 
histories  and  parchments,  the  oldest  any- 
where in  the  world  ;  relics  of  all  the  ages, 
from  the  earliest  history  of  mankind — all 
wonderfully  interesting. 

The  tower  of  London,  one  of  the  most 
tragic  and  historic  places  on  the  globe, 
where  can  be  seen  the  stone  rooms  in  which 
state  prisoners  used  to  be  confined— kings, 
queens,  princes,  and  high  officials,  and  from 
which  they  were  led  to  execution. 

In  one  of  the  rooms  are  kept  the  block 
and  axe  which  were  used  to  decapitate 
them,  and  many  instruments  of  torture. 

In  this  tower  are  kept  the  implements  of 
war  from  the  earliest  historic  times  ;  war 
clubs  succeeded  by  spears,  swords,  coats  of 
mail,  and  after  the  invention  of  gunpowder 
the  crudest  kinds  of  fire  arms,  wood  cannon 


212      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

with  iron  hoops,  down  to  the  later  flint 
locks  and  still  more  modern  inventions  of 
repeating  artillery  and  rifled  cannon. 

One  room  in  the  tower  contains  the 
crown  jewels  and  crowns  of  all  the  kings 
and  queens  of  England  from  its  earliest 
history,  more  than  a  thousand  years,  to  the 
modern  crown  of  Victoria. 

Jewels  and  precious  stones,  amounting 
to  many  millions  of  dollars  in  value,  the 
crowns  studded  with  diamonds  and  other 
precious  stones,  the  baptismal  font,  mace 
of  office,  sword  of  justice,  and  many  other 
things  are  kept  in  the  large  glass  case 
or  cage,  circular  in  form,  perhaps  ten  feet 
high  and  eight  or  ten  feet  in  diameter. 
Around  this  case  or  cage  are  bars  of  steel, 
and  outside  of  all  an  iron  rail  to  prevent 
spectators  from  approaching  within  touching 
distance,  and  as  a  further  protection  there 
is  always  a  guard  of  two  or  three  officials  in 
the  room  ;  while  outside,  but  within  the 
grounds,  are  hundreds  of  old  pensioners, 
ex-officers,  and  soldiers  who  have  distin- 
guished themselves  in  some  of  the  wars 
they  have  been  engaged  in.  These  men 
are  dressed  very  peculiar  in  a  sort  of 


SIGHTS    IN    LONDON.  213 

light  gray  trimmed  with  bright  red.  They 
are  called  ubeef  eaters;"  are  a  hardy  set 
of  men  and  rank  as  a  sort  of  military 
aristocracy. 

Westminster  Abbey  is  another  historic 
place  to  visit.  The  tombs  of  the  kings 
and  queens  of  England  for  a  thousand 
years,  soldiers,  statesmen,  poets,  and  dis- 
tinguished men  and  women,  rest  here. 
The  most  beautiful  carved  monuments, 
tablets,  and  sarcophagus  in  finest  marble 
and  bronze. 

The  houses  of  Parliament,  called  the 
House  of  Commons  and  the  House  of  Lords, 
like  our  House  of  Representatives  and 
Senate.  We  visited  these  houses,  though 
Parliament  was  not  in  session.  An  usher 
showed  us  through,  and  pointed  out  the 
different  sections. 

I  was  reminded  of  a  story,  the  truth  of 
which  I  will  not  vouch  for  as  being  strictly 
true  though  it  illustrates  the  stupidity  of 
some  public  servants. . 

One  door  of  the  Parliament  house  is 
guarded  by  an  usher,  and  only  a  member  of 
the  House  of  Lords  can  enter  by  this  door. 
A  dissenting  preacher,  not  understanding 


214   EECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

this,  attempted  to  enter  by  this  door, 
was  stopped  by  the  usher  who  told  him 
only  a  lord  could  enter  by  this  door.  The 
preacher  said  he  was  not  a  lord,  but  a 
servant  of  the  Lord.  The  usher  asked 
what  lord,  and  he  said,  uLord  Jehovah." 
" Never,  heard  of  him,"  said  the  usher; 
"but,"  he  added,  uwait  a  minute;"  and 
he  asked  an  usher  inside  if  he  ever  heard  of 
Lord  Jehovah;  and  he  said,  "No,  he  had 
not ; "  but  added,  "  possibly  there  might  be 
such  a  lord  who  didn't  come  there  very 
often,  and  he  had  better  let  him  come  in." 
Missionaries  or  the  Salvation  Army,  I 
suppose,  had  not  visited  that  section  of 
London  up  to  that  time. 

The  Salvation  Army  was,  at  that  time, 
just  beginning  its  work  in  London  and 
other  cities.  They  have  done  wonderful 
work  ;  though,  perhaps,  like  all  new  con- 
verts, inclined  to  be  fanatic  and  injudicious 
in  their  methods. 

A  young  woman,  a  convert,  thought  she 
must  do  some  good  work  in  the  cause,  and 
so  she  procured  a  bundle  of  tracts  and  went 
into  the  by-ways  of  the  city  in  the  evening 
to  distribute  them.  About  the  lirst  tract 


SIGHTS   IN    LONDON.  215 

she  handed  out  was  to  a  gentleman  standing 
on  the  corner.  He  held  it  up  to  the  gas- 
light and  looked  at  it ;  then  handed  it  back, 
saying,  ' '  You  must  excuse  me ;  I  am  a 
married  man."  She  looked  at  the  tract 
and  discovered  its  heading  was,  "  Abide 
with  me."  She  gave  up  the  attempt  to 
distribute  tracts. 


216      EECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 


LETTER  XIII. 
MY  DEAR  H.— 

I  began  to  tell  you,  in  my  last  letter, 
about  some  of  the  places  we  visited  in 
London.  I  must  not  dwell  too  long  on 
these,  but  will  mention  one  other,  perhaps 
more  interesting  than  any.  This  was  Wind- 
sor Castle,  the  residence  of  Queen  Victoria. 
It  was  in  the  latter  part  of  June,  after  the 
queen  and  her  household  had  left  the  castle 
for  their  summer  residence  in  Scotland.  It 
was  announced  in  the  London  papers  that 
the  castle  would  be  open  on  certain  days  to 
visitors.  On  one  of  these  public  days, 
therefore,  we  took  the  train  for  Windsor, 
some  twenty-five  miles  from  London.  Quite 
a  number  of  visitors  were  on  the  train. 
Arriving  at  the  station,  nearly  all  walked 
to  the  castle  as  we  did,  a  distance  of,  per- 
haps, a  third  of  a  mile.  Windsor  is  an 
old  city,  with  fine,  broad  avenues  well 
shaded,  with  large  parks  and  public 
grounds. 

The  castle  itself  stands  in  a  large  park 
on  high  ground  overlooking  the  city  and 


WINDSOR   CASTLE.  217 

surrounding  country.  St.  George's  Chapel 
and  vaults,  which  contain  many  of  the 
royal  family,  are  connected  or  in  close 
proximity  with  the  castle,  and  with  other 
buildings  cover  many  acres  of  ground. 

I  was  somewhat  disappointed  in  the 
castle  ;  it  was  not  as  magnificent  as  I 
supposed,  though  some  of  the  state  rooms 
and  other  apartments  might  be  called 
grand. 

Some  of  the  walls  are  hung  with  tapestry 
woven  figures  of  Queen  Esther  before  the 
King,  Mordecai,  and  other  Bible  scenes. 

On  the  whole,  I  was  not  greatly  impressed 
with  the  magnificence  of  Windsor  Castle. 

After  spending  a  couple  of  weeks  in  and 
about  London,  we  crossed  the  straits  of 
Dover  and  proceeded  by  rail  to  Paris. 

We  spent  two  weeks  in  that  city  very 
pleasantly  ;  visited  many  places  of  interest. 
The  Tuilleries,  Napoleon's  Tomb,  Arc  de 
Triumph,  the  picture  galleries  of  Louvre 
and  Luxenburg,  the  Grand  Opera  House, 
the  finest  in  all  Europe  if  not  in  the  world, 
Champ  de  Mars,  and  took  a  sail  on  the 
River  Seine  to  St.  Cloud,  a  most  beautiful 
place,  the  former  residence  of  the  great 


218      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

Napoleon,  and  more  recently  of  his  nephew, 
the  emperor. 

The  residence  of  these  emperors  was  in 
ruins,  having  been  burned  by  the  German 
army  on  its  approach  to  Paris  in  the  late 
German  war.  The  Hotel  des  Invalides, 
where  are  kept  the  old  veterans  of  the 
French  wars.  Napoleon's  tomb  being 
near  this  hotel  or  Soldier's  Home  it  might 
be  called. 

This  tomb  or  grand  mausoleum  is  one  of 
the  finest  works  of  art,  probably,  in  the 
world.  It  is  a  large  granite  building, 
nearly  circular  in  form,  with  an  immense 
dome,  under  which,  on  the  ground  floor 
which  is  of  fine  marble,  is  the  sarcophagus 
standing  on  beautiful  carved  pillars 
containing  the  remains  of  the  great 
Napoleon.  In  niches  all  around  this 
circular  room  are  life  size  statues  of  the 
marshals  of  the  empire — Ney,  Duroc,  Murat, 
Prince  Eugene,  and  scores  of  others.  Take 
it  altogether  it  is  a  wonderful  work  of 
art.  The  French  people  are  very  proud  of  it, 
and  well  they  may  be. 

The  streets  of  Paris  are  broad,  well 
paved  and  lighted,  and  kept  scrupulously 


SIGHTS   IN   PARIS.  219 

clean.  The  picture  galleries  are  the  most 
extensive  and  varied  of  any  in  the  world. 

The  Louvre  contains  the  world-renowned 
works  of  art  in  painting  and  sculpture  and 
statuary,  mostly  quite  ancient. 

The  Luxenburg  contains  the  works  of 
modern  artists.  These  latter,  to  my  mind, 
are  far  superior  to  the  old  masters. 

Much  of  the  statuary,  and  many  of  the 
pictures  would  scarcely  be  allowed  in  any 
gallery  in  our  country  ;  and  the  same  holds 
true  as  regards  the  galleries  of  other  cities 
we  visited. 

On  leaving  Paris  we  took  an  early 
morning  express  train  for  Switzerland,  and 
after  a  ride  of  some  fifteen  hours,  arrived  at 
Geneva  late  in  the  evening.  We  passed 
through  the  finest  portion  of  France — its 
vineyards,  wineries,  beautiful  villas  and 
well-kept  fields  and  lawns. 

Geneva  is  one  of  the  oldest  cities  in 
Europe.  The  old  part  looks  ancient ; 
but  the  more  modern  section  is  very 
beautiful,  with  broad  avenues,  parks, 
fountains  and  fine  public  buildings.  The 
people  are  very  industrious.  The  city  has 
every  appearance  of  thrift  and  comfort,  to 


220      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

say  nothing  of  luxury  and  wealth  that 
seem  to  abound. 

After  leaving  Geneva  we  had  a  pleasant 
journey  through  Switzerland,  skirting  the 
lake  for  many  miles,  passing  through  the 
city  of  Lausanne,  a  beautiful  old  cathedral 
city. 

We  spent  a  few  hours  in  Berne,  the 
capital  of  Switzerland,  a  quaint  old 
city,  and  proceeded  part  of  the  distance 
by  boat  on  Lake  Thun,  and  after  a 
day's  ride  reached  the  most  beautiful 
little  city  in  Switzerland,  Interlachen, 
where  we  spent  several  days.  We  found 
here  the  greatest  variety  of  scenery.  We 
rode  up  to  the  top  of  one  of  the  high 
points  in  the  vicinity  on  donkeys ;  at 
least  my  wife  rode  a  donkey,  but  the  livery 
man  brought  to  our  hotel  a  mule  instead 
for  me,  thinking  my  legs  were  rather  long 
to  stride  one  of  his  little  donkeys.  I  was 
glad  he  did,  though  my  wife  enjoyed  the 
donkey  ride  very  much.  We  had  a 
guide  to  lead  each  animal,  as  the  mountain 
path  often  led  along  cliffs  overlooking 
awful  chasms  hundreds  of  feet  below,  and 
these  guides  would  walk  between  the 


SWITZERLAND.  221 

animal  and  the  edge  of  the  cliff  steadying 
the  animal  with  his  strong  arm. 

The  views  from  the  elevation  were  some- 
thing grand;  I  suppose  nothing  surpasses  it 
in 'all  Switzerland. 

The  valley  itself,  lying  between  snow- 
capped mountains,  is  some  eight  or  ten 
miles  long  by  one  or  two  miles  wide,  and 
level  as  a  house  floor.  The  fields  well 
cultivated,  or  in  lawns  of  the  most  beautiful 
green.  The  two  little  lakes,  Thun  and 
Brienze,  in  full  view  with  the  connecting 
river  between,  of  three  or  four  miles,  look- 
ing like  a  silver  thread  through  the  valley. 

The  sides  of  the  mountains  to  the  timber 
line  are  well  cultivated  vineyards  ;  above 
this  a  space  of  bare  rock,  and  above  all  the 
snow-capped  peaks.  In  the  distance,  seem- 
ing only  a  few  miles  but  in  reality  thirty 
miles,  was  the  great  glacier,  Jungfrau, 
glistening  in  the  sun,  altogether  a  picture 
of  landscape  and  mountain  of  surpassing 
beauty. 

From  Interlachen  we  went  by  diligence 
over  the  Brunig  Pass  and  Bernese  Oberland, 
a  days'  ride  through  Swiss  scenery  of  re- 
markable beauty,  to  Lucerne,  another  Swiss 


222   EECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

city  of  great  interest.  It  is  here  one  of  the 
greatest  works  of  art  is  to  be  seen,  the  Lion 
of  Lucerne.  It  is  a  lion  of  immense  size,  if 
I  remember,  some  thirty  feet  long  and  well 
proportioned,  cnt  on  the  face  of  the  solid 
rock.  The  lion  is  in  its  death  agony,  with 
an  arrow  penetrating  its  vitals.  It  is  a 
world-renowned  work  of  genius,  designed 
by  Thorwaldsen,  and  is  a  monument  to 
commemorate  the  Swiss  guard  who  fell  in 
defense  of  the  Tuilleries  in  Paris,  in  the 
French  Revolution,  and  was  erected  at  great 
expense  by  Napoleon  the  first,  in  J821. 
From  Lucerne  we  went  to  Zurich,  where  we 
spent  two  or  three  days.  The  Swiss  national 
fair  was  being  held  there  and  much  of 
interest  to  be  seen;  very  beautiful  works  of 
art,  looms  in  operation  turning  out  silks 
and  velvets  and  tapestries  and  laces  and 
almost  every  other  product  of  the  loom. 

Zurich  is  a  historical  city,  being  one  of  the 
centres  of  the  Reformation  in  the  time  of 
Martin  Luther  and  Zwingle,  this  being 
Zwingle's  native  city.  I  learned  here  at  this 
national  fair,  from  an  intelligent  English 
speaking  Swiss,  that  the  story  in  the  school 
books  of  my  boyhood  days,  about  the  tyrant 


GERMANY.  223 

Gessler  and  the  patriot  William  Tell  and  his 
shooting  the  apple  from  his  boy's  head,  was 
all  a  myth;  there  was  no  such  man  as  Tell. 
Thus  another  of  the  historic  legends  of  our 
boyhood  days  vanishes  into  thin  air ;  like 
the  great  maelstrom  on  the  coast  of  Norway, 
and  the  poisonous  Upas  tree,  as  pictured  in 
early  geographies,  are  only  myths. 

Boys  have  many  things  to  unlearn  as 
well  as  to  learn. 

From  Zurich  we  went  to  Shaffhausen 
Falls,  the  head  of  the  Rhine  River  naviga- 
tion— a  sort  of  Niagara  summer  resort.  We 
went  through  the  Black  Forest  which  com- 
mences at  this  place,  a  wild  mountain  ride 
through  numerous  tunnels  and  windings 
among  the  mountains.  Our  next  stopping 
place  was  charming  Baden  Baden.  This 
is  a  famous  German  watering  place  re- 
sembling our  Saratoga.  The  waters  here 
are,  however,  hot,  and  come  out  of  the 
ledge  of  a  rock  instead  of  deep  wells, 
as  at  Saratoga.  The  waters  are  all  differ- 
ent in  properties  and  medicinal  value,  and 
are  greatly  sought  after.  It  is  a  great 
health  resort  for  invalids  ;  also  for  pleasure 
and  gambling. 


224   EECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

From  here  we  went  to  Strasburg  the 
cathedral  city.  It  is  in  Alsace-Lorraine, 
formerly  belonging  to  France,  but  cap- 
tured by  the  Germans  in  the  late  war,  and 
now  held  by  them. 

A  large  military  force  is  stationed  here, 
and  we  saw  them  drill  in  the  public  park. 
They  are  a  very  fine  body  of  men,  especially 
the  officers,  who  were  splendidly  mounted 
and  elegantly  equipped. 

The  great  cathedral  here  bears  the  marks 
of  German  cannon  balls  which  were  fired 
on  the  French  occupants  before  the  city 
surrendered.  The  cathedral  was  repaired, 
and  the  famous  clock,  which  has  been  keep- 
ing time  for  hundreds  of  years,  is  still  tick- 
ing away. 

We  waited  for  the  time,  twelve  o'clock,  to 
see  the  twelve  apostles  march  out  one  by 
one  from  a  side  door,  and  with  a  hammer 
strike  the  great  bell  and  retire  as  another 
came  out,  until  twelve  had  struck  the 
hours. 

From  this  city  we  went  to  Heidelberg, 
the  seat  of  a  large  university,  where  many 
American  youths  go  to  finish  their 
education. 


HEIDELBERG   AND    WORMS.  225 

It  is  a  beautiful  city  and  what  I  was 
much  interested  to  see  was  its  old  castle 
now  in  ruins,  built  many  hundreds  of  years 
ago,  probably  by  the  Romans.  It  is  on  the 
top  of  a  cliff,  and  covers  several  acres  of 
ground.  The  wonder  is,  how  the  massive 
blocks  of  stone  were  ever  gotten  up  there 
and  into  its  walls.  It  would  be  a  wonder 
in  this  age  of  invention  and  engineering, 
to  say  nothing  of  those  times  beyond  the 
Dark  Ages. 

From  Heidelberg  our  next  stopping 
place  was  the  city  of  Worms,  the  old  town 
made  famous  by  Martin  Luther  and  the 
Reformation. 

The  old  town  hall,  still  standing,  is  said 
to  be  the  same  building  (though  now 
enlarged  and  built  over)  in  which  was  held 
the  great  convention  called  "  The  Diet 
of  Worms." 

The  Luther  monument,  built  in  the  public 
square,  represents  him  holding  an  open 
Bible  in  one  hand,  the  other  raised,  exclaim- 
ing :  "Here  I  stand  ;  I  cannot,  and  I  will 
not  retract;  may  God  help  me." 

There  are  twelve  other  figures  of  life 
size  in  a  circle  around  Luther, — Zwingle, 


226      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

Erasmus,  Knox,  Melangthen,  and  others  of 
the  reformers. 

We  visited  the  Worms  cathedral,  one  of 
the  oldest  in  Europe,  built  or  commenced 
in  the  year  about  800  A.  D.,  and  other 
public  buildings ;  but  one  had  especial 
interest,  if  tradition  is  true. 

This  was  a  Jewish  synagogue,  said  to  be 
the  oldest  now  in  the  world  ;  built  before 
the  Christian  Era. 

It  is  a  quaint  one  story  granite  building, 
the  roof  being  also  of  granite,  supported  on 
a  central  column  from  which  extends 
granite  arches  to  the  outer  walls,  the 
floor  itself  being  granite  or  marble. 

Upon  payment  of  a  small  fee  to  the  man 
and  his  wife  who  were  in  charge,  we  were 
shown  the  old  parchments  carefully  kept 
in  one  of  the  cloisters.  A  German  lady, 
who  understood  English,  translated  to  us 
this  story  as  it  was  told  her :  ' '  That  this 
synagogue  was  built  and  flourishing  at  the 
time  Christ  came  ;  that  information  of  his 
appearance  and  doings  came  to  them,  and 
of  his  persecution  and  crucifixion  by  the 
Jews  ;  that  the  Jews  of  Worms  were 
not  responsible  for  his  death ;  they  had 


LUTHER'S  MONUMENT.  227 

sent  a  delegation  to  Jerusalem  to  protest 
against  it." 

In  the  centre  of  this  synagogue  was  hung 
an  old  lamp  burning.  The  history  of  this, 
as  they  gave  it,  was  that  between  seven  and 
eight  hundred  years  ago  two  men  came  to 
the  Jews  of  Worms  and  notified  them  of  a 
plot,  an  intended  massacre  of  all  the  Jews 
on  a  certain  day,  whereupon  they  got 
together  and  arranged  for  defense,  and 
were  not  harmed. 

These  two  men  were  unknown,  and  no 
information  could  be  obtained  concerning 
them ;  they  firmly  believed  they  were 
angels  sent  to  save  their  lives,  and  this 
lamp  was  then  put  up  as  a  memorial  of  the 
interposition  of  divine  Providence,  and  it 
had  been  burning  there  for  over  seven 
hundred  years.  I  suggested  it  was  not  so 
old,  but  they  said,  of  course,  it  was  not  the 
very  same  lamp,  but  as  one  burned  out  it 
was  always  replaced,  and  the  light  never 
had  gone  out,  a  very  pretty  story  and  they 
firmly  believed  it.  Another  legend  they 
told  us.  They  took  us  outside  of  the 
synagogue  where  a  very  narrow  lane  runs 
alongside  of  the  granite  walls  in  which  is 


228      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

an  indentation  just  large  enough  for  a 
person  to  stand  in.  The  legend,  as  told  us, 
is  that  some  five  or  six  hundred  years  ago  the 
mother  of  the  rabbi  was  passing  through 
this  lane,  and  being  met  by  a  team, 
she  pressed  her  body  against  the  granite 
wall  and  would  have  been  crushed  only 
by  a  miracle,  the  indentation,  as  now  seen, 
was  made  in  which  she  stood  and  was  saved. 
They  believe  this  implicitly. 

From  Worms  we  went  to  Bingen  on  the 
Rhine,  a  beautiful  little  city  where  we  took 
a  steamboat  for  Cologne.  The  river  Rhine 
is  noted  for  the  beauty  of  its  scenery  and 
comparisons  are  often  made  by  tourists 
between  this  and  our  own  Hudson.  I  think 
most  people  would  give  the  preference  to 
our  own  river,  but  there  are  many  points  of 
interest  on  the  Rhine  which  we  don't  have. 
The  old  castles,  most  of  which  are  only 
ruins  now,  having  been  built,  according  to 
tradition,  by  the  half  civilized  tribes 
occupying  the  territory  against  the 
encroachments  of  the  Romans,  in  the  early 
centuries  of  the  Christian  Era.  On  the 
mountain  slopes  grow  the  hardy  grapes 
which  produce  the  famous  Rhine  wine. 


RIVER   RHINE.  229 

The  famous  Apollinaris  Springs  are  not  far 
from  this  river  ;  its  bottling  establishment 
is  at  one  of  the  landings. 

We  left  the  boat  at  the  city  of  Bonn,  and 
proceeded  by  rail  to  Cologne.  The  great 
Cologne  cathedral  here  is  a  splendid 
work  of  art,  with  its  many  spires  and  paint- 
ings and  carvings,  its  gothic  windows,  its 
magnificent  chime  of  bells — all  exceedingly 
beautiful. 

From  Cologne  we  took  an  early  morning 
train  for  Brussels.  This  is  another  historic 
city,  the  capital  of  Belgium.  The  royal 
palaces,  its  picture  galleries  and  art  build- 
ings are  well  worth  seeing.  It  was  here,  or 
a  few  miles  from  this  city,  where  was 
fought  the  decisive  battle  of  Waterloo, 
which  crushed  the  great  Napoleon  and 
decided  the  fate  of  Europe. 

I  had  intended  to  visit  the  battlefield 
of  Waterloo,  but  a  heavy  rain,  muddy 
road,  and  limited  time  discouraged  the 
attempt. 

I  regretted  very  much  not  going  out  to 
this  field;  the  most  decisive,  probably,  in 
all  history. 

What  American    visiting   Brussels  does 


230   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

not  remember  Byron's  thrilling  description 
of  the  opening  scenes  of  the  battle. 

"  There  was  a  sound  of  revelry  by  night, 
And    Belgium's   capital   had  gathered 

then, 

Her  beauty  and  her  chivalry,  and  bright 
The  lamps  shone  o'er  fair  women  and 

brave  men  : 
A  thousand  hearts   beat    happily :    and 

when 

Music  arose  with  its  voluptuous  swell, 
Soft  eyes  looked  love  to  eyes  which  spoke 

again, 

And  all  went  merry  as  a  marriage  bell : 
But  hush !  hark  !  a  deep  sound  strikes 
like  a  rising  knell  ! 

"  Did  ye  not  hear  it?    No  :  'twas  but  the 

wind, 

Or  the  car  rattling  o'er  the  stony  street : 
On  with  the  dance  !  let  joy  be  unconfined 
No  sleep  till  morn  when  youth    and 

pleasure  meet, 
To  chase  the  glowing  hours  with  liying 

feet. 

But  hark !  that  heavy  sound  breaks  in 
once  more, 


BRUSSELS.  231 

As  if  the  clouds  its  echo  would  repeat : 
And    nearer,     clearer,     deadlier    than 

before ! 
Arm  !  arm  !  it  is,  it  is  the  cannon's  opening 

roar. 

"  And  there  was  mounting  in  hot  haste : 

the  steed, 

The  mustering  squadron  and  the  clatter- 
ing car, 
Went  pouring  forward  with  impetuous 

speed : 
And  swiftly  forming  in  the  ranks  of 

war : 

And  the  deep  thunder  peal  on  peal  afar  : 
And  near,   the  beat  of  the    alarming 

drum 
Roused  up  the  soldier  ere  the  morning 

star : 
While  thronged  the  citizens  with  terror 

dumb, 

Or  whispering  with  white  lips,   '  the  foe  ! 
they  come  !  they  come  ! ' 

From  Brussels  our  next  stopping  place 
was  the  city  of  Antwerp,  where  we  spent  a 
day  visiting  its  picture  galleries,  cathedral, 
parks  and  public  buildings. 


232      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

A  little  incident  occurred  at  Antwerp, 
somewhat  amusing,  but  a  little  embarras- 
sing, at  the  time.  We  had  traveled  from 
Cologne  to  Brussels  with  an  English 
clergyman,  Canon  Falconer  and  his  wife 
and  daughter,  a  miss  of  some  fifteen  years. 
They  were  with  us  during  our  stay  in 
Brussels,  and  accompanied  us  to  Antwerp, 
where  we  were  to  separate  after  a  day's 
sight-seeing  in  that  city ;  they  to  take  the 
steamer  for  England  and  we  the  train  for 
Holland.  We  took  an  early  morning  train 
for  Antwerp,  some  thirty  miles  ;  but  when 
we  arrived  the  name  was  not  called,  nor 
could  we  see  any  name  on  the  station.  We 
asked  the  guard  who  was  promenading  up 
and  down  the  platform  if  this  was  Antwerp. 
He  did  not  reply,  but  shook  his  head, 
evidently  not  understanding  the  question ; 
and  before  we  could  decide,  the  train  started 
and  we  were  soon  beyond  the  city.  A  new 
conductor  came  along  for  tickets,  and  we 
tried  to  explain  the  situation  ;  but  he  only 
shrugged  his  shoulders  and  held  out  his 
hand  for  tickets,  speaking  in  French. 
Young  Miss  Falconer  had  learned  a  little 
French  in  school,  and  she  tried  to  tell  him 


ANTWEEP.  233 

how  it  happened ;  but  he  evidently  didn'  t 
quite  understand. 

It  was  rather  amusing,  and  we  felt  it  was 
solely  the  fault  of  the  railroad,  and  we 
were  not  going  to  pay  for  being  carried 
where  we  didn't  want  to  go.  Probably  the 
conductor  would  have  put  us  off  at  the  first 
stopping  place,  but  we  got  the  start  of  him. 
When  our  train  stopped  there  was  a 
train  standing  at  the  station,  headed  the 
other  way.  I  said,  "  Let  us  get  aboard  and 
go  back  to  Antwerp";  and  we  proceeded 
to  change  cars,  rushing  for  the  first  open 
door.  I  helped  my  wife  and  Mrs.  Falconer 
in,  while  the  canon  and  his  daughter,  being 
more  burdened  with  baggage,  were  a  little 
behind.  Xhey  came  up  to  the  door,  and 
right  near  them  came  along  the  station- 
guard  ;  and  when  I  reached  out  my  hand  to 
help  Miss  Falconer  up  the  step,  this  official 
caught  and,  by  main  force,  pulled  her  away 
and  held  her.  I  then  perceived  the  cars  had 
started,  and  in  spite  of  my  remonstrance, 
to  which  he  replied  in  a  jargon  which,  of 
course,  I  did  not  understand  no  more  than 
he  did  mine.  I  sprang  on  the  car,  calling 
back  to  them  to  come  on  the  next  train  and 


234   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

we  would  wait  for  them  at  Antwerp  ;  so  our 
party  was  divided. 

A  new  conductor  came  around  for  tickets, 
with  the  same  questions  and  jargon,  and  I 
answered  him  in  the  same  kind,  and  we 
both  laughed.  Of  course  he  got  no  tickets 
or  money. 

When  we  got  to  Antwerp  station,  before 
the  train  had  fairly  stopped,  a  high  official 
there,  in  his  sash  and  military  equipage, 
met  us  at  the  door  of  our  compartment  as 
we  were  stepping  off.  The  conductor  had 
notified  him,  probably,  of  an  American 
crank  on  his  train.  He  spoke  very  pleas- 
antly in  English,  asking  what  was  the 
trouble.  I  explained  to  him  how  it  was, 
and  he  said  he  was  very  sorry  for  our 
mishap ;  was  exceedingly  pleasant ;  said 
the  next  train  would  be  there  with  the  rest 
of  our  party  at  twelve  o'clock,  and  hoped 
the  hour  we  would  have  to  wait  would  be 
passed  pleasantly.  He  pointed  to  a  beau- 
tiful park  in  sight,  if  we  preferred  to  wait 
there,  which  we  did  until  the  canon  and  his 
daughter  came,  when  we  all  had  a  good 
laugh  about  it.  We  passed  the  afternoon 
in  visiting  the  picture  galleries,  cathedral, 


ANTWERP.  235 

public  buildings  and  parks.  They  took  the 
steamer  that  evening  for  England,  and  we 
the  train  for  Holland. 


236      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 


LETTER  XIV. 
MY  DEAR  H.— 

In  my  last  letters  I  have  been  giving  you 
some  little  glances  of  what  we  saw  in  our 
journey  ings.  I  have,  however,  to  draw  on 
my  memory  for  these  incidents,  having 
kept  no  diary  or  memorandum.  Since 
writing  these  letters  many  interesting  inci- 
dents occur  to  my  mind  ;  but  what  I  have 
written  will  give  you  some  little  idea  of  our 
manner  of  sight-seeing,  and  the  use  we  made 
of  our  limited  time. 

After  leaving  Antwerp,  we  very  soon 
crossed  the  border  line  between  Belgium 
and  Holland.  The  usual  custom  house  for- 
mality had  to  be  gone  through  on  entering 
the  new  country.  I  don't  remember  the 
questions  we  were  asked  or  how  closely  our 
baggage  was  examined,  or  the  contraband 
articles  the  officials  were  looking  after.  As 
I  remember  it  was  a  mere  matter  of  formal- 
ity, and  then  we  found  ourselves  whirling 
through  a  flat  country,  apparently  made  up 
of  about  half  land  and  half  water,  the  water 
and  land  being  about  on  a  level,  and  innum- 


HOLLAND.  237 

erable  bridges — it  seemed  we  were  crossing 
bridges  nearly  all  the  time.  This  was  more 
noticeable  as  we  were  nearing  Rotterdam. 

I  made  it  a  point  to  find  out  in  advance, 
either  by  inquiry  or  from  our  Badeker 
guide  book,  a  suitable  hotel. 

We  generally  found  an  English  speaking 
clerk  or  proprietor,  and  were  always  treated 
with  the  utmost  courtesy.  I  believe,  as  a 
rule,  Americans  receive  more  attention  at 
hotels  than  any  other  nationality  ;  at  least, 
we  never  had  the  least  occasion  or  reason 
for  complaint.  Our  bills  were  usually 
reasonable  ;  of  course  the  customary  fee 
expected  by  waiters  and  servants,  or  any- 
one who  has  lifted  a  hand  for  you,  seemed 
a  little  odd.  Somehow,  all  these  servants 
knew  just  the  time  guests  were  leaving,  and 
were  in  waiting. 

I  understood  this,  and  always  had  change 
provided  to  hand  them.  To  simplify  mat- 
ters in  my  own  mind,  I  made  it  a  rule  to 
add  ten  per  cent,  to  my  hotel  bills,  dividing 
it  among  the  servants ;  so  that  if  my  bill 
was  ten  dollars,  I  would  divide  one  dollar 
additional  among  the  servants. 

Rotterdam  is  one  of  the  quaintest  old 


238   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

cities  in  Europe — many  of  the  streets  nar- 
row, and  houses  standing  close  to  the  street, 
with  sidewalks  only  wide  enough  for  one 
person  to  walk,  and  some  of  the  houses,  from 
the  second  story,  projecting  over  the  street ; 
so  that  persons  on  the  second  and  third 
stories,  and  above,  could  shake  hands 
across  the  streets,  or  make  morning  calls 
without  leaving  their  chambers. 

The  city  is  permeated  with  canals,  and 
little  steamboats  which  bring  the  country 
produce  right  up  alongside  of  the  markets 
and  stores,  and  deliver  their  freight  without 
any  trouble. 

It  is  the  cleanest  city  I  ever  saw.  In  a 
morning  walk  we  saw  the  Dutch  women  on 
their  knees  scrubbing  the  narrow  sidewalk 
with  soap  and  water,  and  the  streets  and 
fronts  of  their  houses  looked  as  if  they  had 
been  scrubbed.  These  Hollanders  are  very 
fond  of  flowers ;  their  windows  are  filled 
with  them. 

At  the  large  central  public  market, 
where  the  Dutch  women  go  with  their 
baskets  for  supplies,  are  the  greatest 
quantities  of  flowers,  and  almost  every 
woman  supplies  herself  liberally  with 


ROTTERDAM.  239 

these.  We  were  quite  interested  in 
standing  on  the  bridge  leading  from  the 
market,  to  see  the  long  procession  of  women 
with  their  market  baskets  loaded  with 
provisions,  and  about  every  one  of  them 
carried  a  bunch  of  flowers. 

These  Hollanders  seem  to  be  a  jolly 
people,  the  women  look  healthy  and  happy, 
and  the  men  solid  ;  perhaps  a  better  word 
would  be  stolid  and  contented.  There  are 
some  line  buildings  in  Rotterdam,  and  a 
large  beautiful  park.  A  very  handsome 
statue  of  Erasmus,  one  of  the  reformers  and 
coadjutor  of  Martin  Luther,  stands  in  a 
little  park  in  the  centre  of  this,  his  native 
city  ;  and  the  house  in  which  he  lived  is 
still  standing,  a  small  old-fashioned  brick 
house. 

From  Rotterdam  we  took  a  steamer  in  the 
afternoon  for  England,  crossing  the  North 
Sea — usually  a  very  rough  passage  ;  but  it 
happened  to  be  mild  and  pleasant,  and  a 
full  moon,  which  seemed  to  rise  out  of  the 
sea  right  behind  us,  almost  in  speaking 
distance. 

Next  day  we  landed  on  the  English  coast, 
and  at  evening  were  back  at  our  old 


240      EECOLLECTIONS   OF  A   LIFETIME. 

quarters  in  Woburn  Square,  London,  which 
seemed  almost  like  getting  back  home. 
We  found  letters  here  awaiting  us,  with 
the  good  news  that  all  were  well. 

We  remained  here  nearly  two  weeks, 
visiting  and  revisiting  the  many  places  of 
interest — the  description  of  which  I  gave  in 
a  former  letter — and  then  took  an  express 
train  on  the  Great  Northern  Railroad  for 
Edinburgh,  Scotland,  having  sent  our 
baggage  to  the  steamship  office  in  Liverpool. 

I  must  not  dwell  too  long  on  this 
Scotland  trip,  though  no  country  in  Europe 
has,  to  my  mind,  so  much  of  interest ;  it 
seemed  to  me  the  very  paradise  of  ro- 
mance. Nothing  in  romance  can  excel 
some  of  Scott's  descriptive  poetry,  his 
"  Lady  of  the  Lake  "  and  "Marmion,"  or 
the  heart  poetry  of  Robert  Burns  in  his 
"  Bonny  Boon"  and  "Highland  Mary," 
and  other  poems  that  has  stirred  the  hearts 
of  millions.  What  American  boy  has  not 
been  thrilled  with  the  story  of  Wallace  in 
the  "  Scottish  Chiefs,"  and  Douglass,  and  all 
the  heroes  in  Scottish  history.  When, 
therefore,  I  crossed  the  borders  of 
Scotland,  and  entered  that  romantic 


SCOTLAND.  241 

country,  I  felt  I  was  in  the  land  of  heroes 
and  great  men. 

Our  first  stopping  place  was  Edinburgh, 
one  of  the  pleasantest  cities  in  Europe,  with 
its  beautiful  streets,  avenues,  parks,  monu- 
ments, and  old  historic  buildings. 

Edinburgh  castle,  built  hundreds  of  years 
ago,  is  still  used  as  an  armory.  Hollyrood, 
the  ancient  residence  of  the  Scottish  kings, 
and  where  the  unfortunate  Mary  Queen  of 
Scots  lived,  is  still  intact.  Her  bed-chamber 
has  been  kept  just  as  it  was  when  she  occu- 
pied it.  A  large  picture  gallery,  with  very 
line  old  paintings  and  portraits  of  the  kings 
and  queens  of  Scotland,  is,  also,  one  of  the 
sights. 

In  the  public  square  stands  the  Scott 
monument,  a  magnificent  work  of  art. 
The  Scotch  people  are  very  loyal  to  the 
memory  of  their  great  men,  and  well  they 
may  be ;  no  country  in  the  world  has  ever 
produced  greater. 

We  spent  a  few  days  in  Edinburgh, 
then  went  to  Stirling,  the  old  home  of 
Wallace,  the. hero  of  the  "  Scottish  Chiefs." 
Stirling  castle  stands  as  it  did  in  his 
day,  just  back  of  the  city  on  a  high  bluff 


242      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

overlooking  the  city  and  valley,  and  Frith 
of  Forth.  The  battle  of  Bannockburn  was 
fought  three  miles  from  Stirling.  We 
drove  down  to  the  battlefield  ;  our  guide 
pointed  out  the  stone  in  which  Bruce 
planted  his  standard  when  his  little  army 
of  thirty  thousand  Scotch  Highlanders 
routed  the  British  army  of  one  hundred 
thousand,  with  a  loss  larger  than  Bruce' s 
entire  army,  which  ended  a  long  war,  and 
established  the  independence  of  Scotland. 

Burns'  immortal  poem  of  Bruce' s  address 
to  his  army  on  this  occasion  will  go  down 
the  ages  as  a  knell  to  tyranny  and  an 
inspiration  to  liberty : 

"  Lay  the  proud  usurpers  low  ! 
Tyrants  fall  in  every  foe  ! 
Liberty's  in  every  blow  ! 
Let  us  do  or  die  ! ' ' 

Our  journey  through  the  trossacks,  the 
mountain  and  lake  region  of  Scotland,  was 
very  enjoyable;  riding  on  the  top  of  the 
four  horse  coach  and  sailing  on  the  lakes, 
through  the  country  of  Roderick  Dhu 
and  Fitz-James  of  Stirling,  made  famous 
by  Walter  Scott's  poem,  "The  Lady  of 


EMBARKING   FOR   HOME.  243 

the  Lake."  The  whole  thing,  the  scenery 
and  mountains,  beautiful  lakes,  and  bright 
skies,  all  seemed  to  us  a  poem — a  romance, 
a  landscape  picture,  all  combined. 

We  spent  a  couple  of  days  in  Glasgow, 
and  from  this  city  took  the  train  for 
Liverpool,  and  boarding  our  steamer,  the 
"  Spain,"  were  again  on  the  broad  Atlantic, 
with  our  faces  turned  toward  America — our 
own  dear  home. 

Probably  no  travelers  ever  saw  more  of 
the  different  countries  or  took  in  more  of 
the  places  of  interest  than  did  my  dear  wife 
and  myself  in  so  short  a  time. 

My  wife  was  a  good  traveler.  She  did 
not  tire  as  do  many  ladies,  and  could  adapt 
herself  to  all  kinds  of  travel,  and  enjoyed 
new  scenes;  it  was  all  recreation  and  pleasure 
to  her.  She  grew  stronger  and  returned  to 
our  home  in  much  better  health  than  when 
we  left.  Next  day  after  leaving  Liver- 
pool, we  cast  anchor  off  the  old  city  of 
Cork,  in  Ireland,  now  called  Queenstown, 
where  a  steamboat  came  alongside  of  our 
ship,  her  deck  crowded  with  over  a 
thousand  emigrants  to  be  put  on  board. 
It  was  a  sad  sight  to  see  these  poor 


244      EECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

creatures;  whole  families,  men,  women  and 
children;  some  very  old  and  some  mere 
children,  all  carrying  their  baggage,  mostly 
sacks  and  hemp  bags;  some  with  boxes  and 
baskets,  and  some  with  beds  and  bundles. 
All  seemed  poor,  wretched,  and  sad,  many 
in  tears  ;  not  a  smile  did  I  see  in  that  whole 
surging  mass. 

As  I  stood  on  the  deck  of  the  ship  and 
looked  down  on  this  crowd  being  marched 
in  single  file  over  the  gangplank  to  the 
steerage,  bending  down  under  their  bur- 
dens, all  going  to  an  untried,  and,  to  them, 
an  unknown  country,  among  strangers,  I 
felt  sorry  for  the  poor  creatures.  I  could 
not  help  but  feel  how  doomed  most  of 
them  were  to  disappointment,  though  it 
was  perhaps  impossible  for  their  condition 
to  be  much  worse. 

We  saw  but  little  of  these  steerage  pas- 
sengers on  the  voyage,  as  they  were  not 
allowed  on  the  after  deck  where  the  cabin 
passengers  were. 

I  would  sometimes  go  forward  and  look 
down  in  the  steerage  and  see  the  cooking ; 
a  sort  of  stew,  made  of  corned-beef  and 
potatoes,  in  a  cauldron,  stirred  and  dipped 


ON   SHIPBOARD.  245 

out  with  a  long-handled  iron  scoop  basin. 

Our  voyage  was  comparatively  pleasant 
and  uneventful. 

Exactly  at  twelve  o'clock  each  day  the 
captain  would  take  his  reckoning.  I  made 
it  a  point  to  watch  for  the  time  and  stand 
by  him  and  see  how  it  was  done.  Modern 
science  has  invented  a  little  instrument 
called  a  sextant,  something  a  little  larger 
than  an  opera  glass,  by  looking  into  which, 
when  the  sun  is  exactly  at  zenith,  the 
mirrors  are  so  arranged  as  to  show  the 
latitude  and  longitude  of  the  ship,  and  the 
number  of  miles  we  have  made  in  the 
twenty-four  hours  since  his  last  reckoning. 

This  he  posts  in  a  conspicuous  place 
where  the  passengers  can  see  it.  Passengers 
guess  and  sometimes  bet  on  the  number  of 
miles  the  ship  would  make  the  next  twenty- 
four  hours.  I  carried  a  map,  and  each  day, 
when  the  captain  had  taken  his  reckoning, 
would  mark  on  the  map  just  where  we 
were. 

As  we  approached  New  York  we  began  to 
be  on  the  lookout  for  pilot  boats.  There  is 
always  great  strife  among  pilots  as  to  who 
should  reach  one  of  these  big  ships  first ; 


246   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

the  pay  is  large— some  two  hundred  dollars 
or  more  for  piloting  one  of  these  large  ships 
into  port.  Several  pilot  boats  sighted  us 
apparently  at  the  same  time,  and  then  there 
was  a  friendly  race.  The  one  that  conies 
first,  near  enough  to  speak  and  be  answered, 
gets  the  job  ;  and  after  putting  a  pilot  on 
board  the  ship,  will  sail  away  and  be  on 
the  watch  for  the  next  steamer.  The 
pilot  brought  late  New  York  papers, 
which  were  seized  and  read  with  great 
interest,  as  we  had  been  isolated  from  the 
world  for  a  week.  The  last  night  on  the 
ship  passengers  gathered  in  the  cabin 
and  had  a  sociable — recitations,  singing, 
speeches,  stories  and  a  right  jolly  time. 
A  collection  is  always  taken  up  on  these 
occasions  for  the  benefit  of  a  marine  hos- 
pital in  Liverpool,  if  on  an  English  ship. 
At  the  quarantine  station,  near  Sandy 
Hook,  we  were  detained  an  hour  or  two 
for  the  examination  of  our  steerage  pas- 
sengers ;  but  as  we  showed  a  clean  bill 
of  health,  were  allowed  to  pass,  and  were 
soon  steaming  up  the  bay  and  alongside  of 
our  dock  in  New  York.  Scores  of  long- 
shoremen, with  our  own  sailors,  were  soon 


HOME   AGAIN.  247 

engaged  transferring  baggage  from  the  ship 
to  the  dock,  where  were  waiting  custom 
house  officers  to  examine  the  baggage. 

There  is  often  more  or  less  trouble  here, 
as  these  custom  house  men  use  their  own 
discretion  as  to  how  thorough  they  examine 
trunks  and  baggage.  Sometimes  they  take 
out  the  entire  contents  of  a  trunk,  article 
by  article,  to  see  if  there  is  any  dutiable 
goods.  If  they  find  any,  away  it  is  sent  to 
the  custom  house,  and,  if  it  is  found 
the  intention  was  to  smuggle  any  taxable 
goods,  the  whole  contents  are  forfeited  to 
the  government. 

Our  baggage  passed  with  little  examina- 
tion, the  inspector  only  lifting  the  cover  of 
the  trunk  and  top  tray  and  passed  it. 

We  found  at  the  steamship  landing, 
waiting  for  us,  our  dear  children  Marion 
and  Ella.  I  said,  waiting  for  us;  yes, 
waiting  for  us.  These  darling  ones  are 
now,  at  this  writing,  with  their  dear 
mother,  the  companion  of  my  life's  voyage, 
all  now  waiting,  waiting  for  me. 

They  have  taken  their  last  voyage, 
escaped  its  perils  and  are  safely  landed 
in  a  haven  beyond  the  reach  of  all  dan- 


248      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

ger,  the  storms  of  life  with    them  being 
passed. 

This  was  a  joyous  meeting.  They  were 
delighted  to  see  us,  to  welcome  us  home, 
and  we  were  as  glad  to  get  back  to  our 
home  and  loved  ones ;  to  find  that  no 
serious  sickness  or  mishap  had  befallen 
any  of  them  during  our  absence.  We 
felt  that  no  country  or  people  in  the 
wide  world,  could  compare  with  our 
own. 

We  met  during  our  travels  many 
delightful  people,  and  received  the  most 
courteous  attention  wherever  we  went. 

There  is  a  feeling  in  all  European 
countries,  especially  among  the  common 
people,  that  America  is  a  paradise.  Their 
highest  ambition  is  to  be  able  sometime  to 
go  to  that  country. 

We  had  occasion  to  make  a  little  pur- 
chase in  a  store  in  Heidelberg,  and  the 
only  English  speaking  person  in  the 
establishment  was  a  young  girl,  perhaps 
sixteen  or  eighteen  years  of  age.  She 
asked  if  she  should  not  send  the  article 
home.  I  said  it  was  too  far— we  lived  in 
New  York.  "  What !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  in 


DAUGHTER   MARION'S   DEATH.          249 

New  York  !  in  America !  Oh,  how  I  wish  I 
was  there."  Poor  girl,  she  thought  if  she 
was  only  in  America,  if  she  was  not  in 
paradise,  it  would  be  the  very  next  thing 
to  it. 

The  peasantry  of  Germany  and  Holland, 
and  indeed  of  all  European  countries,  have 
a  life  of  toil  and  want,  and  little  encourage- 
ment. 

We  saw,  in  passing  through  the  agricul- 
tural districts,  women  and  girls  doing  the 
most  menial  work,  carrying  burdens  under 
which  they  bent — too  heavy  for  strong 
men.  Children  looked  prematurely  old  and 
careworn.  They  have  to  work  for  a  mere 
pittance,  and  have  no  hope  of  any  better 
condition. 

As  I  said  we  were  glad  to  get  home  and 
be  with  our  dear  ones  again.  Little,  how- 
ever, did  we  realize  that  we  should  so 
soon  be  called  to  part  with  our  daughter 
Marion,  this  dear  one  who  seemed  so 
necessary  to  us  all;  the  two  young 
daughters,  so  dependent  on  a  mother's 
care ;  a  devoted  husband,  a  loving  father 
and  mother  and  sisters,  all  these  ties  were 
sundered. 


250      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A    LIFETIME. 

It  was  an  awful  and  crushing  blow  for  all 
of  us,  and  one  that  her  mother  never 
recovered  from.  The  years  that  she  lingered 
here,  before  going  to  join  her  darling  child, 
were  years  of  suffering;  and  yet  she  was 
a  true  Christian  mother,  and  tried  to  be 
brave  and  resigned,  but  this  touched  the 
very  core  of  her  heart. 

Although  this  was  more  than  ten  years 
ago,  and  the  flowers  on  her  grave  have 
budded  and  blossomed  and  been  nipped  by 
winter's  frosts  ten  successive  times,  yet  it 
seems  but  as  yesterday  when  this  darling 
one  lay  as  if  asleep,  so  life-like  and  beauti- 
ful, amid  the  banks  of  flowers  which  kind 
friends  had  brought  and  loving  hands 
arranged  so  emblematic  of  herself;  the 
house  packed  with  mourners  and  mourning 
friends,  who  came  to  pay  their  last  tribute 
of  love  and  respect;  the  beautiful  address 
of  Dr.  McLeod,  her  pastor,  in  which  he 
paid  a  glowing  tribute  to  her  character 
as  a  Christian  in  her  life,  walk,  and 
example ;  the  choir  of  her  church,  who 
volunteered  to  come  and  sing  some  of  the 
hymns  they  knew  she  loved. 

Next  day  the  family  and  nearest  friends 


DAUGHTER    MARION'S    DEATH.          4251 

followed  her  remains  to  her  final  resting 
place  in  beautiful  Greenwood,  where  in  a 
cemented  vault,  clean  and  white,  we  laid 
her  precious  remains  and  covered  her  tomb 
with  flowers. 

During  her  last  sickness,  her  sister,  Ella, 
and  husband,  Rev.  Albert  J.  Lyman,  were 
with  her,  both  ministering  angels  and  God's 
blessed  comforters. 

Dr.  Lyman  made  a  beautiful  address  at 
the  grave,  so  appropriate  and  so  expressive 
of  all  our  feeling  that  I  asked  him  for  a 
synopsis,  which  I  prize  very  highly. 

"In  the  name  of  this  family  circle,  and 
this  group  of  kindred  and  friends,  I  now 
solemnly  and  tenderly,  pronounce  this  our 
united  testimony  over  our  beloved  sister 
Minnie's  grave.  Here  lies  the  pure  body  of 
one  of  God's  sweet  saints;  she  walked  in 
white  while  among  us,  and  she  walks  in 
white  to-day  in  the  city  of  God.  We  have 
loved  the  light  of  her  face;  she  was  our 
sister  of  peace. 

uThe  eldest  born,  she  was  the  pattern  of 
our  family  fidelity.  Her  name  was  the 
music  of  the  home  life  we  have  shared.  In 
her  hands  she  held  the  bond  of  all  our 


252      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

fellowship,  and  beyond  our  sight  she  holds 
it  still. 

"  We  bear  our  witness,  that  as  daughter, 
sister,  wife  and  mother,  she  served  with 
utter  constancy  the  ends  of  love  and  duty; 
she  was  our  well  beloved  one,  and  her 
memory  is  blessed  for  ever.  Acquainted 
with  care,  she  made  care  seem  beautiful; 
she  taught  us  gentleness,  and  Christian 
resignation.  Suffering  she  bore  with 
patience;  privation  with  dignity;  and  in  her 
words  and  ways  dwelt  to  us  a  deathless 
loveliness.  She  won  the  crown  she  wears. 
We  say  no  final  farewell,  she  rests  in  God; 
we  lay  her  away,  not  in  fear,  but  in 
honor  and  hope;  we  lay  her  in  the  midst  of 
the  flowers  she  loved. 

"Believing  in  nature  and  in  God,  to  nature 
we  entrust  her  mortal  and  precious  form, 
and  to  God  we  commit  her  immortal  spirit. 
Nothing  of  her  life  can  fade. 

* '  In  Christ  whom  she  trusted,  she  lives, 
and  in  His  presence  she  awaits  the  final 
resurrection  of  the  blessed. 

"  Rest  thee  in  peace  sweet  sister,  thy 
spirit  is  above,  not  beneath  the  sod;  we 
will  not  suffer  thy  words  to  fail." 


After  this  address  a  dear  friend  of  hers 
and  of  our  family,  Rev.  Fritz  W.  Baldwin, 
made  a  beautiful  and  touching  prayer  and 
benediction.  And  so  closed  the  last  rites 
we  could  pay  to  one  of  Grod's  own  dear 
children.  Her  memory  is  very  precious; 
her  grave  a  Mecca  to  us  all.  Not  now  a 
lonely  grave,  but  by  her  side  rest  her 
darling  sister,  Ella,  and  the  dear  mother  of 
them  both.  Heaven  is  richer  and  earth  so 
much  poorer. 


254      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 


LETTER  XV. 
MY  DEAR  fr- 
ill my  last  letter  I  told  you  of  the  sick- 
ness and  death  of  our  darling  daughter 
Marion.  Without  going  too  much  into  detail, 
I  will  only  say  here,  the  devoted  husband 
and  the  young  daughters,  thus  suddenly 
bereaved,  met  the  situation  bravely.  Her 
sisters,  Ella  and  Florence,  and  her  mother, 
and  indeed  all  of  us  adopted  these  chil- 
dren who,  with  their  early  training,  have 
developed  into  the  noble  Christian  charac- 
ter of  their  sainted  mother.  After  the 
death  of  this  dear  daughter,  the  health  of 
my  wife  became  more  feeble.  I  gave  up 
active  business,  and  in  the  winter  of  1886-7 
we  went  to  California,  hoping  the  change 
of  climate  and  surroundings  might  benefit 
her. 

Our  hopes  were  partially  realized  ;  she 
enjoyed  the  change,  and  we  all  felt 
encouraged. 

My  dear  wife  was  one  who  loved 
nature  and  beautiful  scenery,  and  the 
journey  and  grand  scenery,  and  the  world 


JOURNEY    TO   CALIFORNIA.  255 

of  flowers  in  Southern  California  all  tended 
to  bring  the  wonted  bloom  to  her  cheeks 
and  brightness  to  her  eyes. 

The  journey  to  California  was  not  so  tire- 
some as  we  supposed  it  would  be.  The 
Pullman  palace  cars  and  arrangements  for 
sleeping  nights  and  resting,  makes  travel- 
ling a  luxury  in  comparison  to  what  it  used 
to  be.  What  occupies  only  about  six  days, 
with  comforts  almost  like  a  home  parlor, 
took  six  months  of  weary  and  toilsome 
travel  for  the  pioneers  and  early  settlers  of 
that  far  off  country. 

Our  journey,  too,  was  broken  by  a 
delightful  visit  in  Kansas  with  our  dear 
sister  and  brother,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edwin  R. 
Van  Horn.  After  leaving  this  pleasant 
home,  we  were  whirled  over  the  vast  plains 
of  western  Kansas,  skirting  the  Rocky 
Mountains  for  three  days  and  nights, 
through  wild  unsettled  parts  of  New 
Mexico  and  Arizona,  a  country  of  lava 
beds  and  volcanic  formations. 

We  saw  several  parties  of  Indians  who. 
had  come    down    from  their  reservations, 
situated  some  twenty  or  thirty  miles  from 
the  railroad,  to   see    the  passing   trains— 


256   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

something  strange  and  wonderful  to  these 
poor  savages. 

The  conductors  are  instructed  to  treat 
the  Indians  with  civility,  and  let  them  ride, 
if  they  desire,  on  the  platforms  ;  otherwise 
they  might  do  harm  to  the  railroad. 

At  a  place  called  "The  Needles,"  near 
the  border  line  between  Arizona  and 
California,  a  whole  tribe,  it  seemed,  of 
Indians,  squaws  and  papooses  were  at  the 
station,  perhaps  a  hundred  or  more,  waiting 
for  their  rations  which  were  on  one  of  the 
cars  of  our  train — quarters  of  beef,  carcasses 
of  mutton,  -and  bags  of  meal  and  other 
provisions. 

This  was  an  eating  station  ;  but  the  sight 
of  these  filthy  creatures  peering  into  the 
windows  of  the  kitchen  where  almost  as 
filthy  looking  Chinamen  were  cooking,  and 
the  dining  room  only  separated  from  the 
kitchen  by  a  rail,  with  waiters  of  the  same 
sort  as  the  cooks,  altogether  took  away 
the  appetites  of  most  of  the  passengers  ; 
beside  curiosity  to  look  at  these  poor  half 
naked  savages  was  stronger  than  the 
appetite  for  food  under  these  circumstances. 

After  emerging  from  the  arid  plains  and 


SOUTHERN   CALIFORNIA.  257 

lava  beds  through  which  we  had  been 
traveling  for  two  or  three  days,  we  arrived 
at  San  Barnardino,  in  California.  Here  we 
got  the  first  whiff  of  orange  blossoms,  and 
were  in  the  land  of  flowers.  Some  fifty 
miles  further  is  the  beautiful  city  of  Los 
Angeles,  the  place  of  our  destination,  where 
we  spent  two  or  three  months  reveling 
among  the  flowers  and  orange  groves. 
The  rainy  season  was  about  over,  and 
the  weather  was  perfect.  We  formed 
pleasant  acquaintances  with  Eastern  people, 
and  would  make  frequent  all  day  ex- 
cursions many  miles  in  the  country,  driving 
our  own  livery  team,  often  making  it  a 
pic-nic  day,  taking  our  own  provisions. 
Would  get  permission  to  drive  into  an 
orange  grove,  sometimes  by  paying  a  small 
amount,  but  generally  they  said  go  in,  in 
welcome,  and  help  yourselves. 

After  spreading  our  blankets  on  the 
ground  under  the  shade  of  an  orange  tree, 
the  limbs  bending  down  under  the  load  of 
its  luscious  fruit,  we  would  eat  our  lunch 
and  pick  oranges — all  we  wished — just  by 
reaching  up  without  rising  from  our 
blanket  seat  on  the  ground.  These  orange 


258      KECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

orchards  of  Southern  California  are 
immense — fifty  and  a  hundred  acres.  Many 
of  the  trees  having  to  be  propped  up, 
and  many  of  the  limbs  broken  under  the 
great  weight ;  the  most  beautiful  sight 
imaginable. 

You  can  see  the  same  tree  loaded  down 
with  ripe,  golden,  and  green  fruit  and 
blossoms  at  the  same  time;  the  fragrance 
filling  the  air  as  you  ride  through  the 
country. 

It  is  something  wonderful — the  quan- 
tity of  oranges  and  lemons  shipped  from 
Southern  California  ;  apparently  enough  to 
supply  the  world.  Train  after  train  of  cars, 
loaded  with  this  fruit,  leave  the  different 
stations  every  day  for  eastern  markets.  At 
Riverside,  in  the  centre  of  the  orange  belt 
of  Southern  California,  some  forty  miles 
east  of  Los  Angeles,  are  several  large  pack- 
ing and  shipping  houses.  We  spent  three 
weeks  in  this  place  very  pleasantly.  It  is 
called  the  "  Garden  of  California,"  and 
rightly  named.  One  of  the  finest  avenues  I 
ever  saw  is  "Magnolia  Avenue."  For  nine 
miles  this  broad  avenue,  lined  with  double 
rows  on  each  side  of  magnolia,  eucalyptis, 


CALIFORNIA    ORANGES.  259 

palm  and  pepper  trees,  and  all  sorts  of 
flowers,  beautiful  villas  and  endless  groves 
of  oranges,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach.  I 
used  to  go  to  the  packing  houses  and  watch 
the  process  of  assorting,  packing  and  ship- 
ping the  fruit.  I  was  told  there  would  be 
shipped  from  that  station,  that  season,  two 
thousand  car  loads  of  oranges.  A  car  load 
is  three  hundred  boxes,  and  the  average 
number  in  a  box  is  one  hundred  and  fifty 
oranges — making  an  aggregate  of  ninety 
millions  of  oranges  from  that  one  station ; 
and  that  is  only  one  out  of  a  score  of  ship- 
ping stations.  These  packers  will  buy  an 
orange  orchard  and  pick  the  fruit  as  they 
require.  Oranges  are  different  from  apples 
or  most  other  fruit.  The  picking  season 
commences  in  December  and  lasts  till  June, 
the  ripening  oranges  keeping  fresh  all  this 
time  while  on  the  tree. 

It  is  interesting  to  watch  the  process  of 
assorting  and  packing.  The  oranges  are 
dumped  into  a  hopper,  through  which  they 
run  down  into  an  inclined  broad  wire 
sieve,  the  meshes  of  which  are  graduated 
for  different  sizes,  the  first  meshes  being 
small  to  let  the  small  oranges  drop  through ; 


260      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

the  next  larger,  and  so  on  until  the  last ;  the 
sieve  being  shaken  meanwhile,  the  oranges 
dropping  through  into  canvas  sacks,  and 
carried  to  the  packers,  who  lay  them  care- 
fully in  boxes,  each  orange  wrapped  in 
tissue  paper,  pressed  down  and  nailed  ;  the 
box  marked  with  stencil  plate,  with  the 
name  of  the  packers,  number,  and  brand  of 
oranges  in  the  box  ;  the  boxes  are  then  run 
out  on  the  platform  and  packed  in  the  car. 
When  the  train  of  fifteen  or  twenty  cars  are 
loaded,  away  it  goes  on  the  long  journey  of 
three  thousand  miles  to  the  eastern  markets. 

A  young  orange  orchard  in  Southern 
California  with  irrigation,  is  worth  from 
five  hundred  to  a  thousand  dollars  an  acre, 
and  some  are  valued  much  higher. 

They  don't  count  on  any  off  years,  every 
year  is  a  bearing  year,  and  the  trees  im- 
prove the  older  they  grow.  A  frost  is 
scarcely  ever  known,  though  there  has  been 
a  little  frost  a  few  times — just  enough  to 
nip  some  of  the  fruit  on  the  most  exposed 
branches. 

After  leaving  Riverside  we  concluded  to 
make  a  trip  over  the  Sierra  Mountains  to 
the  Yosemite. 


A    TRIP   TO    YOSEMITE.  261 

This  valley  of  the  Yosemite  is  one  of  the 
wonders  of  the  world,  and  well  worth  the 
journey  to  see.  Formerly  it  was  an  over- 
land ride  of  a  hundred  miles  by  stage  over 
several  ranges  of  mountains,  but  has  been 
shortened  by  a  railroad  from  Berenda  to 
Raymond,  a  distance  of  twenty-five  miles, 
making  a  stage  ride  of  seventy-five  miles. 
We  started  from  Raymond  after  an  early 
breakfast  in  company  with  three  four-horse 
stage  loads  of  passengers, — eleven  inside 
each  coach,  three  on  a  seat  and  two  with 
the  driver.  Our  coach  contained  a  jolly 
load,  mostly  gentlemen  with  their  wives. 
Dr.  Herrick  Johnson  was  the  third  occupant 
of  our  seat,  and  his  wife  occupied  the 
seat  in  front  of  us,  with  a  gentleman  and 
his  wife  from  Auburn,  N.  Y.  After  nearly 
a  week  in  the  valley  we  came  back  in  the 
same  order. 

The  first  day  from  Raymond  we  rode 
fifty  miles,  stopping  once  for  dinner 
( changing  horses  every  ten  miles )  bringing 
up  at  sunset  at  Clark's  Hotel,  where  we 
enjoyed  a  good  supper,  a  bright  open  fire- 
place fire  and  the  sleep  of  tired  travelers. 

After  breakfast  we  resumed  our  places  in 


262      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

the  stages  and  started  for  the  wonderful 
valley,  a  ride  of  twenty-five  miles  further. 
This  ride  took  us  through  the  finest 
scenery  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Sierras, 
through  forests  of  pines  of  enormous 
growth,  trees  six  and  eight  feet  in  diameter 
and  straight  as  a  mast,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  and  two  hundred  feet  tall. 

Almost  the  entire  distance  of  this  last 
twenty-five  miles  was  a  gradual  ascent 
through  these  primeval  forests,  only  very 
recently  traversed  by  white  men. 

On  emerging  from  the  forest  on  the  top 
of  the  mountain,  our  driver  made  a  little 
detour  from  the  main  road  to  a  jutting 
point  overlooking  the  wonderful  Yosemite 
Valley,  called  "Inspiration  Point,"  and  it 
is  well  named.  The  view  is  one  never  to 
be  forgotten ;  all  the  adjectives  possible 
grouped  together  would  fail  to  give  the 
reality.  Grand  !  sublime  !  majestic !  are 
mild  terms. 

The  valley  lay  at  our  feet,  almost  per- 
pendicular, a  mile  below  us,  seemingly 
walled  in  with  granite  a  mile  high. 

My  descriptive  powers  are  inadequate 
to  do  justice  to  this  grandest  work  of 


YOSEMITE   VALLEY.  263 

nature    on    this    continent,    if  not    in  the 
world. 

The  first  white  man  who  ever  visited  this 
valley,  Mr.  J.  M.  Hutchings,  is  now  a 
resident  of,  and  known  all  over  California 
as  the  "  Patriarch  of  Yosemite."  He  has 
published  a  book,  the  title  is  "In  the  Heart 
of  the  Sierras,"  in  which  he  describes  this 
wonder  of  nature. 

During  our  stay  in  the  valley  I  became 
acquainted  with  this  man,  and  was  charmed 
and  thrilled  with  his  story  of  early 
incidents  in  his  pioneer  life.  From  his 
book  I  gathered  some  of  the  descriptions 
which  I  fully  indorse. 

I  will  give  his  own  description  first : 
"  Successively  and  successfully,  we  passed 
through  dark  and  apparently  interminable 
forests,  penetrated  brushy  thickets,  ascended 
rocky  ridges,  and  descended  talus-covered 
slopes  until,  in  the  afternoon  of  the  third 
day  of  our  deeply  interesting  expedition, 
we  suddenly  came  in  full  view  of  the 
marvelous  valley. 

u  The  inapprehensible,  the  uninterpre table 
profound  was  at  last  opened  before  us. 

"  That  first  vision  into  its  wonderful  depths 


264      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

was  to  me  the  birth  of  an  indescribable 
'first  love'  for  scenic  grandeur  that  has 
continued,  unchangeably,  to  this  hour,  and 
I  gratefully  treasure  the  priceless  gift. 

"I  trust,  moreover,  to  be  forgiven  for  now 
expressing  the  hope,  that  my  long  after- 
life among  the  angel-winged  shadows  of  her 
glorious  cliffs,  has  given  heartfelt  proof  of 
the  abiding  purity,  and  strength  of  that 
'  first  love '  for  Yosemite. 

uThis  mere  glimpse  of  the  enchanting 
prospect  seemed  to  fill  our  souls  to  over- 
flowing with  gratified  delight,  that  was 
only  manifest  in  unbidden  tears.  Our  lips 
were  speechless  from  thanksgiving  awe. 
Neither  the  language  of  tongue  nor  pen, 
nor  the  most  perfect  successes  of  art,  can 
approximately  present  that  picture. 

"  It  was  sublimity  materialized  in  granite, 
and  beauty  crystallized  into  object  forms, 
and  both  drawing  us  nearer  to  the  Infinite 
One." 

Samuel  B.  Bowles,  of  the  Springfield 
Republican,  writes  his  first  impression  of 
the  sight  of  Yosemite  Valley  from 
"  Inspiration  Point." 

"  The  overpowering  sense  of  the  sublime, 


YOSEMITE    VALLEY.  265 

of  awful  desolation,  of  transcendent  marvel- 
ousness,  and  unexpectedness,  that  swept  over 
us,  as  we  reined  our  horses  sharply  out  of 
green  forest,  and  stood  upon  a  high  jutting 
rock  that  overlooked  this  rolling-up 
heaving  sea  of  granite  mountains,  holding, 
far  down  in  its  rough  lap,  the  vale  of 
meadow,  and  grove,  and  river.  Such  a 
tide  of  feeling,  such  stoppage  of  ordinary 
emotions,  comes  at  rare  intervals  in  any 
life.  It  was  the  confrontal  of  G.od  face  to 
face,  as  in  great  danger,  or  sudden  death. 

"It  was  Niagara  magnified.  'All  that 
was  mortal  shrunk  back :  all  that  was  im- 
mortal swept  to  the  front,  and  bowed  down 
in  awe.' ' 

Benjamin  F.  Taylor,  in  his  "Between 
the  Gates,"  says  : — "Yosemite  awaited  us 
without  warning,  met  us  without  coming. 
Spectral  white  in  the  glancing  of  the 
sun,  the  first  thought  was  that  the 
granite  ledges  of  all  the  mountains  had 
come  to  resurrection,  and  were  standing 
pale  and  dumb  before  the  Lord.  I  turned 
to  it  again,  and  began  to  see  the  towers,  the 
domes,  the  spires,  the  battlements,  the 
arches,  and  the  white  clouds  of  solid 


266   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

granite,  surging  up  into  the  air,  and  come 
to  everlasting  anchor  till  'the  mountains 
shall  be  moved.'  You  hasten  on ;  you 
hear  the  winds  intoning  in  the  choral 
galleries  a  mile  above  your  heads ;  you 
hear  the  crash  of  waters  as  of  cataracts  in 
the  sky  ;  you  trample  upon  broad  shadows 
that  have  fallen  thousands  of  feet  down, 
like  the  cast  off  garments  of  descending 
night" 

Albert  D.  Richardson,  in  his  "Beyond 
the  Mississippi,"  says  : — "Nature  had  here 
lifted  her  curtain  to  reveal  the  vast  and 
the  infinite.  It  elicited  no  adjectives,  no 
exclamations.  With  a  bewildering  sense 
of  divine  power  and  human  littleness,  I 
could  only  gaze  in  silence  till  the  view 
strained  my  brain  and  pained  my  eyes, 
compelling  me  to  turn  away  and  rest  from 
its  oppressive  magnitude." 

"H.  H.,"  in  her  "Bits  of  Travel,"  thus 
describes  it: — "An  indescribable  delight 
took  possession  of  me.  The  silence  seemed 
more  than  silence ;  it  seemed  to  quiver 
without  sound,  just  as  the  warm  air  shim- 
mered without  stir,  along  the  outlines  of 
the  rocky  walls.  On  my  left  hand  rose  the 


YOSEMITE   VALLEY.  267 

granite  watch  tower  Loya  (Sentinel  Rock); 
on  my  right,  the  colossal  buttress  Tutock- 
ahnu-la  (El  Capitan),  the  Cathedral  Spires, 
the  Three  Brothers — all  were  in  full  sight. 

"Wherever  I  stood,  the  mountain  wall 
seemed  to  shut  close  around  me  in  a  circle. 

"I  said  to  myself,  again  and  again  :  '  Only 
between  three  thousand  and  four  thousand 
feet  high.'  But  the  figures  had  lost  their 
meaning.  AH  sense  of  estimated  distance 
was  swallowed  up,  obliterated  by  the  feel- 
ing of  what  seemed  to  be  immeasurable 
height," 

I  will  only  give  one  more  extract  from  the 
pen  of  travelers  to  this  wonderful  valley. 
Horace  Greeley  said: — "Of  the  grandest 
sights  I  have  enjoyed  —  Rome  from  the 
dome  of  St.  Peter's ;  the  Alps  from 
the  valley  of  Lake  Como ;  Mount  Blanc 
and  her  glaciers  from  Chamonni  ;  Niagara 
and  the  Yosemite — I  judge  the  last  named 
the  most  unique  and  stupendous.  It  is 
a  partially  wooded  gorge,  one  hundred  to 
three  hundred  rods  wide  and  three  thou- 
sand to  four  thousand  feet  deep,  between 
almost  perpendicular  walls  of  gray  granite, 
and  here  and  there  a  dark  yellow  pine, 


268      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

rooted  in  a  crevice  of  either  wall,  and 
clinging,  with  desperate  tenacity,  to  its 
dizzy  elevation. 

uThe  isolation  of  the  Yosemite,  the 
absolute  wilderness  of  its  sylvan  solitudes, 
many  miles  from  human  settlements  or 
cultivation,  its  cascade  two  thousand  feet 
high,  though  the  stream  which  makes  this 
leap  has  worn  a  channel  in  the  hard  bed 
rock  to  a  depth  of  one  thousand  feet, 
renders  it  the  grandest  marvel  that  ever  met 
my  gaze." 

From  ' '  Inspiration  Point' '  our  road  led 
down  the  mountain  side  into  the  valley 
below,  the  road  being  in  many  places  cut  in 
the  solid  rock,  with  sharp  acute  angles 
around  which  our  driver  would  crack  his 
whip  and  make  the  turn  under  a  full  run 
on  the  very  brink  of  the  precipice,  just  for 
pure  cussedness  and  to  scare  his  passengers. 
There  were  some  blanched  faces  and  some 
protests,  but  our  cowboy  driver  didn't  care 
a  snap;  it  only  seemed  to  make  him  more 
reckless  and  to  see  how  near  he  could  come 
to  the  edge  of  the  abyss  without  going 
over. 

There  were  three  hotels  in  the  valley.  Our 


YOSEMITE   VALLEY.  269 

party  went  to  the  Yosemite  Valley  Hotel, 
kept  by  Mr.  J.  J.  Cook,  a  gentleman, 
formerly  a  merchant  in  New  York  way 
back  in  the  fifties. 

We  had  mutual  acquaintance  with  many 
New  York  people,  and  passed  hours  in 
reminiscence  of  those  early  days. 

He  was  very  kind  and  showed  us  many 
attentions  during  our  stay  with  him,  took 
myself  and  wife  in  his  carriage  around  the 
valley,  and  pointed  out  the  most  interesting 
features.  The  valley  is  from  five  to  six 
miles  long,  and  half  to  three-fourths  of  a 
mile  wide,  and  the  walls  almost  perpen- 
dicular, and  from  three  thousand  to  four 
thousand  feet  high;  not  all  the  same  height, 
some  loom  up  higher  than  others  and  have 
been  given  different  names  such  as 
"Cathedral  Spires,"  from  their  resemblance 
to  them;  "  Sentinel  Dome,"  Half  Dome," 
"  Three  Brothers,"  "  Clouds'  Rest,"  "Mt. 
Starr  King,"  and  others. 

The  great  rock  of  the  valley  "  El 
Capitan"  does  not  seem  like  a  mountain 
ledge,  but  more  like  an  enormous  ever- 
lasting boulder  with  its  smooth,  gray  sides 
reaching  up  almost  to  the  clouds  ;  its 


270   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

measurement  being,  from  its  base  in  the 
valley,  three  thousand  and  three  hundred 
feet — almost  perpendicular. 

The  height  of  the  falls  which  pour  them- 
selves down  into  the  valley,  through  which 
runs  the  Merced  River,  according  to  the 
government  surveyor  is  the  "  Sentinel 
Falls ' '  three  thousand  two  hundred  and 
seventy  feet.  The  "  Yosemite  Falls,"  two 
thousand  five  hundred  and  forty-eight  feet ; 
several  other  falls  of  less  height. 

When  we  consider  that  the  Niagara 
Falls  are  only  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet, 
it  is  easy  to  see  the  stupendous  height  of 
these  falls.  There  is  one  or  two  breaks  in 
the  highest  falls,  though  in  a  spring  freshet 
Mr.  Cook  told  me  they  appeared  to  be  one 
tremendous  fall  from  the  top  to  the  bottom. 

The  most  beautiful  fall  is  called  the 
"  Bridal  Veil."  The  height  is  only  eight 
hundred  and  sixty  feet,  but  it  pours  over 
the  brink  in  a  broad  stream  and  becomes  a 
mist  before  reaching  the  bottom,  hence  its 
name.  When  the  sun  shines  one  or  more 
rainbows  are  always  to  be  seen. 

The  Merced  river,  running  through  this 
valley,  is  a  great  trout  stream.  The  Indians 


INDIANS   OF    YOSEMITE.  271 

bring  in  long  strings  of  these  speckled 
beauties  every  day  and  sell  them  to  the 
hotels  for  fifteen  to  twenty -five  cents  a 
pound.  Our  tables  were  abundantly 
supplied  with  these  at  every  meal.  Mr. 
Cook  said  the  Indians  have -a  knack  of 
catching  trout  which  no  tourist  or  white 
man  can  attain. 

At  one  end  of  the  valley  is  a  small  settle- 
ment of  Indians,  the  remnant  of  a  native 
tribe,  living  in  huts,  gathering  acorns 
which  they  grind  between  fiat  stones  by 
hand  and  make  their  own  acorn  bread  ;  this 
with  fish  and  small  game  is  their  daily  food. 

Our  party  made  excursions,  on  broncoes 
led  by  half  breeds  and  Mexicans  over 
dangerous  paths,  to  the  Domes  and  different 
points  about  the  valley,  so  that  every  day 
was  fully  occupied. 

Our  return  trip  was  a  little  changed,  to 
take  in  the  Mariposa  big  tree  section. 
Starting  in  the  morning  from  Yosemite  we 
reached  Wa-Wa-Na  in  time  for  dinner. 
After  dinner  and  a  short  rest  we  were 
driven  to  the  wonderful  big  tree  forest, 
some  eight  or  ten  miles.  The  whole  forest 
of  many  miles  in  extent  is  covered  with 


272      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

trees  of  large  dimensions,  mostly  pines. 
The  noted  big  trees,  however,  are  of  another 
species  called  "sequois"  or  red  wood,  and 
are  within  a  section  of  a  few  square  miles, 
and  perhaps  numbering  three  or  four 
hundred  trees. 

Some  of  the  largest  of  these  have  been 
given  names,  such  as  " Grizzly  Giant," 
1 '  Mariposa, "  "  Washington, "  "  Grant, ' ' 
'  <  Longfellow, "  "  Wa- Wa-Na,  "etc.  These 
have  cards  attached  giving  their  dimen- 
sions ;  "Grizzly  Giant,"  thirty-three  feet  in 
diameter ;  several  others  nearly  as  large, 
and  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  two 
hundred  and  seventy -five  feet  high.  One 
of  these  trees  is  called  "Wa- Wa-Na"  the 
tunnel  tree,  through  the  heart  of  which  the 
road  passes.  At  the  base,  this  tree  is 
twenty-eight  feet  in  diameter,  is  solid 
wood,  still  alive  and  growing.  The  arch 
or  tunnel  is  about  ten  feet  in  height, 
and  nine  or  ten  feet  wide  at  the  bottom ; 
not  quite  so  wide  at  the  top,  but  ample 
room  to  drive  our  four-horse  stages  through, 
stopping  in  the  centre  for  us  to  count  the 
rings  to  see  if  we  could  approximate  its 
age. 


CALIFORNIA   BIG    TREES.  273 

We  could  scarcely  do  this,  but  it  is  said 
as  many  as  two  thousand  rings  have  been 
counted  in  some  of  these  trees,  making 
their  age  at  least  two  thousand  years. 

One  of  the  largest  of  these  trees  lies  pros- 
trate and  is  hollow.  It  is  said  two  horse- 
men have  ridden  through  abreast,  for  the 
distance  of  eighty  feet. 

There  was  a  ladder  against  this  tree, 
which  I  ascended,  and  walked  on  the  top ; 
it  seemed  like  walking  on  an  arched  roof  of 
a  barn  or  house,  it  was  so  high,  and  yet  it 
was  partly  imbedded  in  the  earth. 

One  of  these  trees,  still  standing,  is  hollow 
at  the  base  ;  said  to  have  been  burned  and 
cut  out  by  the  Indians.  The  room  is  per- 
haps fifteen  feet  in  diameter  ;  large  enough 
for  our  three  stage  loads  of  passengers, 
thirty  persons  at  least,  to  stand  within  its 
walls  without  crowding. 

This  Mariposa  Big  Tree  Grove,  and  the 
Yosemite  Valley  are  both  California  State 
Parks,  and  under  the  care  of  commissioners, 
and  heavy  penalties  prescribed  for  depreda- 
tions ;  also,  strict  regulations  against  fires. 

From  here  we  went  directly  to  San 
Francisco,  where  we  spent  two  weeks 


274      EECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

very    pleasantly,    visiting  many  places  of 
interest.     In  many  respects  this  is  a  won 
derful  city,   with  its  enormous  hotels,  its 
palatial  residences  and  evidences  of  great 
wealth. 

The  United  States  Mint  in  this  city, 
which  we  visited,  is  the  largest  mint  for 
coining  money  in  the  world.  The  process 
of  rolling  out  the  gold  and  silver  bars  in 
correct  size  for  the  dies  of  different  coins, 
cutting  and  pressing  them  into  coins  is  a 
wonderful  process. 

The  director  of  the  mint  was  exceedingly 
courteous,  and  showed  us  all  over  the  estab- 
lishment and  explained  the  details.  I 
was  surprised  to  learn  from  him  that  the 
mint  second  in  size  to  this,  in  the  world, 
was  in  Japan. 

In  a  glass  case  on  the  wall,  in  the  coin 
room,  are  samples  of  every  coin  ever  made 
in  the  mint. 

In  this  case,  also,  are  some  valuable  relics, 
among  which  are  two  silver  spoons  from 
Solomon's  Temple,  at  Jerusalem.  I  ven- 
tured to  express  a  little  skepticism  about 
this,  but  he  said  there  was  no  doubt,  as 
their  history  had  been  traced  back  to  the 


SALT   LAKE   CITY.  275 

sacking  of    the   Temple   by   Shishak,   and 
these  spoons  were  among  the  trophies. 

On  leaving  San  Franciso,  we  came  by 
another  route,  the  Southern  Pacific,  stop- 
ping a  few  days,  and  over  Sunday,  at  Salt 
Lake  City,  the  home  of  the  "  Latter  Day 
Saints." 

It  is  a  very  clean,  handsomely  laid  out 
city,  with  some  fine  stores  and  public 
buildings.  The  tabernacle  and  temple  are 
immense.  We  attended  service  on  Sun- 
day in  the  temple,  which  is  said  to  seat 
ten  thousand  people.  There  were  several 
speakers  but  not  much  worship.  The  organ 
was  grand,  and  fairly  good  congregational 
singing.  The  themes  of  the  discourse  was 
to  glorify  the  Mormon  and  the  "Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  the  Latter  Day  Saints." 
They  receive  strangers  visiting  their  city 
with  a  great  deal  of  courtesy,  and  are  ready, 
on  all  occasions,  to  argue  in  favor  of  their 
peculiar  system. 

They  were  quite  excited  at  this  time,  on 
account  of  the  Edmunds  law,  passed  by 
Congress,  making  polygamy  a  crime.  They 
were  very  bitter  and  defiant.  Some  of  their 
leaders  had  been  arrested  and  were  in 


276   EECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

prison ;  they  all  talked  of  martyrdom  and 
were  ready  to  die  for  the  cause. 

I  ventured  to  advise  some  of  these  saints 
that  it  was  a  good  time  to  have  a  new 
revelation,  and  to  soften  down  some  of  the 
tenets  of  their  peculiar  creed. 


OVER   THE   ROCKIES.  277 


LETTER   XVI. 
MY  DEAR  H.— 

On  leaving  Salt  Lake  City,  we  came,  by 
the  Denver  and  Rio  Grande  railroad,  over 
the  Marshall  Pass,  to  Colorado  Springs, 
where  we  spent  a  week. 

This  road  is  over  the  wildest  range  and 
deepest  canyons  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
and  over  the  backbone  of  the  continent. 
The  head  waters  of  the  great  Colorado 
River  have  their  source  here,  running  in 
a  southwesterly  direction  for  thousands  of 
miles,  finding  an  outlet  in  the  Gulf  of 
California ;  while  the  North  Platte,  having 
its  source  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  run- 
ning in  a  directly  opposite,  or  northeast- 
erly direction,  finds  its  way  into  the 
waters  of  the  upper  Missouri  and,  finally, 
into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  more  than  three 
thousand  miles  from  its  source. 

The  engineering  involved  in  building  the 
road  over  this  mountain  range  and  through 
the  deep  gorges  and  canyons,  is  something 
marvelous. 

Through  the  "  Black  Canyon  "  the  river 


278      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A    LIFETIME. 

rushes,  with  a  mighty  torrent,  between 
perpendicular  rocks,  hundreds  of  feet  high  ; 
the  track  of  the  railroad  being  suspended 
on  iron  cranes,  overhanging  the  rushing 
waters  below. 

Before  entering  the  canyon,  there  are 
open  platform  cars  attached,  on  which 
passengers  can  ride  through  this  awful 
chasm  of  one  or  two  miles.  They  can  see, 
directly  beneath  the  track  upon  which 
they  are  riding,  the  mighty  rushing  of  the 
water,  and  above  them  the  perpendicular 
wall  of  rock,  three  hundred  feet,  almost 
shutting  out  the  light  of  day  ;  hence  its 
appropriate  name,  the  "Black  Canyon  of 
the  Colorado." 

We  spent  a  week  very  pleasantly  at 
Colorado  Springs,  visiting  and  drinking  the 
waters  of  the  different  mineral  springs  in 
the  vicinity,  going  through  the  Garden  of 
the  Gods  and  up  the  mountain  of  Pike's 
Peak.  It  is  a  beautiful  place  and  is  becom- 
ing quite  a  health  resort,  the  waters  being 
highly  recommended  for  many  diseases  and 
the  invigorating  air  a  panacea  for  all  lung 
troubles. 

We  also  spent  a  week  in  Denver,   the 


DENVER   CITY.  279 

great  mountain  city  of  the  West,  one  of  the 
most  attractive  cities  of  our  country;  its 
large  stores,  public  buildings,  churches,  and 
boulevards,  all  show  plainly  the  enterprise 
of  its  people. 

After  leaving  Denver  we  came  to  Illinois, 
and  although  it  was  in  midsummer  and  a 
hot  season,  we  enjoyed  visiting  among  our 
brothers  and  sisters  there  and  in  Wisconsin, 
from  whom  we  had  been  separated  more 
than  forty  years,  some  of  whom  we  had  not 
seen  in  all  that  time.  They  made  family 
gatherings  for  us  of  all  the  relatives  within 
thirty  or  forty  miles,  who  could  come,  and 
the  weeks  we  spent  with  them  are  pleasant 
memories  ;  a  delightful  period  to  look  back 
to.  Quite  a  number  of  the  dear  ones  who 
enjoyed  these  scenes  with  us  have  since 
joined  the  greater  family  gathering  on  the 
other  side ;  have  exchanged  their  earthly 
homes  for  heavenly  mansions. 

The  health  of  my  dear  wife  through 
these  journey  ings  and  changes  seemed  to 
improve.  We  all  felt  greatly  encouraged 
with  the  hope  that  she  would  continue  to 
gain  health  and  strength,  but  were  doomed 
to  disappointment.  Sometimes  for  months 


280      RECOLLECTIONS   OF    A   LIFETIME. 

there  was  no  perceptible  change,  yet  we 
could  see  the  tendency  was  towards  a 
decline.  We  tried  in  every  way  to  ward  off 
the  insidious  progress  of  the  disease,  gave 
up  the  care  of  housekeeping  for  three  or 
four  years,  spent  our  summers  at  the  best 
health  resorts,  and  under  the  care  and 
advice  of  the  best  physicians.  Nothing 
was  left  undone  that  we  could  think  of  or 
were  advised  to  do.  She  did  not  lose  heart 
or  courage;  she  was  brave  and  patient  to 
endure. 

Our  first  visit  to  California  was  beneficial 
to  her,  and  with  the  hope  it  might  be  so 
again,  we  concluded  to  try  it ;  and  in  the 
fall  of  1892  we  crossed  the  continent  for 
the  third  time,  breaking  the  journey 
as  before  in  Kansas,  and  spending  the 
winter,  over  six  months,  in  Southern 
California. 

The  disease  had  fastened  itself  so  firmly 
in  her  system,  even  the  change  and  health- 
ful climate  could  not  dislodge  it.  The 
struggle  between  hope  and  fear  continued, 
but  hope  with  her  was  always  predominant. 
We  consulted  the  best  physicians  on  the 
Pacific  coast,  and  omitted  nothing  that 


RETURNING   HOME.  281 

could  in  any  way  conduce  to  her  recovery 
or  comfort.  Early  in  the  month  of  May, 
1893,  we  started  for  our  Eastern  home, 
breaking  the  journey  in  Kansas  again,  and 
spending  a  couple  of  weeks  in  Barrington, 
near  Chicago,  with  a  dear  nephew  and 
niece,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howarth,  who  did  every 
thing  possible  for  our  comfort.  My  wife 
was  weak  and  suffering,  but  her  courage 
was  indomitable — she  desired  to  go  to  the 
World's  Fair,  in  Chicago,  and  went  with  us 
for  two  days,  and  enjoyed  it,  as  she  always 
enjoyed  the  beautiful  works  of  art  and  of 
nature. 

While  at  Barrington,  we  received  a  dis- 
patch from  Dr.  Lyman  that  Ella  had  had  a 
bad  turn,  and  desired  us  to  keep  him 
informed  of  our  whereabouts  in  case  she 
should  get  worse.  We  knew  she  had  been 
ill,  but  they  kept  from  us  the  serious  nature 
of  her  illness  ;  indeed  her  weekly  letters  to 
us  never  failed.  Only  a  day  or  two  before 
the  dispatch,  we  received  a  long,  cheerful 
letter  in  her  own  hand,  saying  she  was 
improving.  On  receipt  of  the  dispatch,  we 
lost  no  time  but  hastened  home  by  fastest 
train,  arriving  on  Friday  P.  M.,  driving 


282      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A    LIFETIME. 

immediately  to  her  house  and  found  her 
very  low  but  still  hopeful  of  recovery.  She 
was  so  weak,  we  could  only  see  her  a  few 
moments.  Oh  what  a  change  had  come  over 
the  poor  child  since  we  left  her,  six  months 
before.  Then  the  picture  of  health,  now  the 
faded  cheek  and  emaciated  form,  bolstered 
up  in  the  bed  to  receive  us,  which  she  did 
with  outstretched  arms  and  loving  embrace. 
It  was  the  last  loving  embrace  of  her  poor 
mother. 

It  was  not  thought  best  by  the  physicians 
for  us  to  see  her  again  for  a  day  or  two.  I 
went  frequently  to  inquire  and  held 
whispered  conversations  with  her  husband 
in  another  room  ;  it  was  impossible  for  her 
to  hear — two  doors  between  and  both 
closed — but  she  sent  one  of  the  nurses  to 
inquire  if  I  was  there,  and  to  request  me  to 
come  in,  which  I  did. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  angelic  look  on 
that  sweet  face  of  my  darling  child.  I  felt 
sure  then  that  she  was  already  at  the  gates 
of  the  Celestial  City.  With  both  arms 
clasped  round  my  neck,  she  whispered  how 
glad  she  was  that  we  had  come  home,  and 
how  she  had  longed  to  see  us,  and  how 


283 

sorry  she  was  to  see  dear  mother  look  so 
poorly.  She  sent  her  love,  and  said,  "Have 
her  come  down  early  in  the  morning,  I  want 
to  see  her."  I  promised  she  would.  Next 
morning  (Sunday)  we  went  to  the  house 
and  we  found  the  spirit  had  departed  just  a 
few  moments  before  our  arrival.  With 
words  of  love  upon  her  lips  to  her  dearly 
loved  husband  who  had  just  smoothed  her 
pillow,  she  said,  "Thank  you,  dear;"  her 
eyes  closed,  and  her  pure  spirit  took  its 
departure. 

"  Passed  through  glory's  morning  gate 
And  walked  in  paradise." 

I  shall  never  forget  the  wail  that  escaped 
from  the  heart-broken,  loving,  and  dearly 
loved  mother.  Another  arrow  had  pierced 
her  heart  through  the  frail  tenement  of  clay, 
and  it  was  never  dislodged  ;  the  wound 
never  healed.  Henceforth  the  burden  of 
her  inlirmities  and  mournings  for  her 
darlings  grew  too  heavy,  and  in  a  little 
more  than  ten  months,  after  much  suifering 
borne  with  great  patience  and  Christian 
fortitude,  she  joined  them  in  the  Celestial 
City,  where  the  three  walk  in  white 
among  God's  blessed  angels. 


284      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

I  must  say  a  word  more  in  regard  to  the 
character  of  this  dear  one.  No  parents 
ever  had  a  more  loving  or  devoted  child, 
more  thoughtful  and  tender.  And  in  every 
relation  of  life,  as  wife  of  the  pastor  of 
a  large  and  influential  city  church,  she 
fulfilled  every  duty  ;  always  trying  to  bring 
comfort  to  the  afflicted,  and  sunshine  and 
cheerfulness  into  darkened  and  despondent 
hearts. 

In  her  journeys  abroad  with  her  husband, 
she  never  omitted  her  weekly  letter  to  the 
loved  ones  at  home.  While  traveling  in 
Palestine,  she  heard  of  the  death  of  a 
child  in  Brooklyn  whom  she  dearly  loved. 
She  gathered  and  sent  flowers  from  Naza- 
reth, the  birthplace  of  our  Saviour,  to  the 
mother  of  the  child  with  a  touching  letter 
of  sympathy. 

She  brought  bottles  of  water  from  the 
river  Jordan,  to  be  used  in  the  baptismal 
font  for  the  infants,  which  fond  mothers 
blessed  her  for. 

In  a  word,  I  can  conscientiously  say,  if 
one  can  think  of  what  a  daughter,  a  sister, 
a  wife,  a  friend  ought  to  be,  she  was  that. 
She  has  left  a  precious  memory. 


DAUGHTER   ELLA'S   DEATH.  285 

At  her  grave  in  beautiful  Greenwood, 
Rev.  Dr.  Baldwin,  whose  wife  is  Mr. 
Lyman's  sister,  made  a  short  address 
and  prayer.  His  words  were  so  apt  and 
beautiful  I  will  copy  them  : 

"Our  Heavenly  Father,  in  His  eternal 
love,  has  spoken  to  our  dear  one  and  called 
her  behind  the  veil.  We  bow,  with  filial 
reverence,  before  the  majesty  and  mystery 
of  that  love.  He  doeth  all  things  well. 

"As  our  beloved  was  clothed  in  this 
mortal  form,  so  now  is  she  clothed  in 
supernal  light.  Tenderly,  trustingly,  lov- 
ingly we  lay  her  body  to  rest.  Here,  amidst 
the  beauty  and  glory  of  the  world,  its 
springing  life  and  its  unchanging  joy,  we 
leave  that  which  was  so  dear  to  us.  He 
who  lives  in  nature  will  care  for  what  His 
children  loved,  as  He  cares  for  her  and  for 
us  ;  and  she  cares  for  us  and  is  ours  still. 
Nearer  to  God  in  that  new  life,  nearer  and 
dearer  than  ever  to  us.  We  think  of  her 
now  as  active,  radiant  and  blessed  in  the 
city  and  home  of  our  God.  We  believe, 
also,  that  she  is  not  far  from  any  one  of  us. 
Somehow,  in  God's  own  mysterious  and 
blessed  way,  we  shall  feel  her  over  watch- 


286   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

ing  presence,  and  she  will  serve  us  more 
divinely  than  ever. 

"In  this  blessed  hope  let  us  live,  and 
may  God  make  us  brave  to  endure,  strong 
to  serve,  and  patient  to  wait  until  our  day 
shall  dawn,  and  we  shall  greet  her  again, 
and  walk  by  her  side  forever  in  the  realms 
of  light." 


DEATH    OF   MY    WIFE.  287 


LETTER  XVII. 
MY  DEAR  H- 

The  year  following  the  death  of  our  dear 
daughter  Ella  was  a  year  of  suffering  for 
my  precious  wife  and  of  great  anxiety  for 
us  all.  The  malady,  which  finally  proved 
fatal,  made  gradual  progress  in  spite  of  the 
best  medical  skill.  She  made  a  brave  fight, 
and  not  only  kept  up  her  own  courage  but 
imparted  courage  to  us  all.  She  did  not 
fear  death,  but  desired  to  live  on  account 
of  those  she  loved.  She  was  no  specula- 
tive Christian ;  she  believed  in  a  material 
heaven — mansions  and  golden  streets — and 
that  she  would  meet  her  loved  ones  in  the 
Celestial  City. 

She  loved  to  read  about  heaven.  Not 
long  before  her  death,  she  spoke  of  a  verse 
she  was  reading:  "  In  my  Father's  house  are 
many  mansions,"  and  said,  "  Isn't  that 
beautiful?" 

We  saw  her  fading  and  growing  weaker 
day  by  day,  but  never  despondent. 

It  was  a  source  of  great  satisfaction  that  I 
could  be  constantly  with  her.  It  was  a 


288      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

comfort  to  her.  It  was  my  custom  after 
arranging  her  pillow  and  making  her  as 
comfortable  as  possible,  to  pray  by  her  bed- 
side with  her  hand  in  mine.  On  the  last 
night  I  did  so  and  closed  with  the  child' s 
prayer,  which  she  repeated  with  me.  "Now 
I  lay  me  down  to  sleep,  I  pray  the  Lord  my 
soul  to  keep,  if  I  should  die  before  I  wake, 
I  pray  the  Lord  my  soul  to  take."  And 
this  prayer,  the  first  that  her  infant  lips 
ever  uttered,  and  one  she  taught  her  own 
little  ones  at  her  knee,  were  the  last 
conscious  words  she  ever  spoke.  She  died 
with  her  child's  prayer  on  her  lips — she 
soon  fell  asleep ;  after  an  hour  she  woke, 
but  her  mind  wandered,  and  I  saw  the  end 
was  near.  Florence  and  Marguerite  and  I 
watched  beside  her  bed.  She  was  unable  to 
swallow;  all  we  could  do  was  to  moisten  her 
lips  and  smooth  her  dying  pillow. 

We  sent  for  Albert  (Dr.  Lyman),  Mr. 
Smith  and  the  grandchildren,  and  we  were 
all  with  her  when  she  passed  away,  about 
eight  o'clock,  on  the  morning  of  April  16th, 
1894,  like  a  child  going  to  sleep,  parting 
from  the  loved  ones  here  to  join  the  loved 
ones  there. 


DEATH   OF  MY    WIFE.  289 

Her  long  illness  and  gradual  fading  had 
in  a  measure  prepared  us  for  this,  yet 
the  sense  of  a  great  loss,  that  something 
had  gone  out  of  my  life,  overshadowed 
everything  else;  I  felt  alone,  and  more  than 
that,  that  a  part  of  myself  was  gone.  Dear 
friends  came  and  loving  letters  of  sympathy; 
and  many  who  knew  and  loved  her  sent 
flowers  and  came  to  pay  their  last  respects. 

Dr.  McLeod,  our  pastor,  who  conducted 
the  funeral  services,  paid  a  beautiful  tribute 
to  her  Christian  character  and  personal 
worth,  and  read  a  part  of  the  last  chapter 
of  Proverbs. 

"The  heart  of  her  husband  doth  safely 
trust  in  her. 

"  She  will  do  him  good  and  not  evil  all 
the  days  of  her  life. 

"  She  seeketh  wool  and  flax,  and  worketh 
willingly  with  her  hands. 
•&•&•*#••*•*#•*#• 

"  She  stretcheth  out  her  hands  to  the 
poor ;  yea,  she  reacheth  forth  her  hands  to 
the  needy. 

*••*.*..-*         #•*#•** 

"  She  openeth  her  mouth  with  wisdom; 
and  in  her  tongue  is  the  law  of  kindness. 


290   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME. 

"  She  looketh  well  to  the  ways  of  her 
household,  and  eateth  not  the  bread  of 
idleness. 

' '  Her  children  arise  up,  and  call  her 
blessed;  her  husband  also,  and  he  praiseth 
her. 

"  Many  daughters  have  done  virtuously, 
but  thou  excellest  them  all." 

I  had  often  read  this  chapter,  the  descrip- 
tion of  a  good  wife,  but  the  application  of 
it  on  this  occasion  seemed  most  appropriate. 

The  leader  of  the  choir  of  Clinton  Avenue 
Church,  Mr.  Baird,  a  dear  friend  who  was 
present,  sang  some  choice  selections  among 
which  was  one  of  her  favorite  hymns. 

"  Lead,  kindly  Light,  amid  the  encircling 
gloom, 

Lead  Thou  me  on  ; 

The  night  is  dark,   and  I  am  far  from 
home, 

Lead  Thou  me  on. 

Keep  Thou  my  feet;  I  do  not  ask  to  see 
The    distant     scene ;    one     step    enough 

for  me. 
•*•*         ****** 

"  So   long  Thy  power  has  blest  me,   sure 
it  still 

Will  lead  me  on 


DEATH   OF   MY    WIFE.  291 

Through  dreary  doubt,  through  pain  and 

sorrow,   till 

The  night  is  gone, 
And  with  the  morn    those    angel  faces 

smile, 
Which  I  have  loved  long  since,  and  lost 

awhile." 

Next  morning,  the  family  and  most 
intimate  friends  followed  the  remains  to  the 
silent  city,  where,  in  a  vaulted  grave,  we 
laid  her  precious  remains  amid  the  flowers 
she  loved. 

Again  our  dear  friend,  Rev.  Dr.  Baldwin, 
always  ready  to  stand  by  us  in  our 
afflictions,  mingling  his  tears  with  ours, 
spoke  words  of  comfort  and  commended  us 
to  Him  who  grieves  not  willingly  nor 
afflicts  His  children.  The  following  beauti- 
ful and  appropriate  words  were  spoken  by 
him  on  this  occasion  : 

"I  heard  a  great  voice  out  of  heaven, 
saying,  behold  the  tabernacle  of  God  is 
with  men,  and  He  will  dwell  with  them,  and 
they  shall  be  His  people,  and  God  Himself, 
shall  be  with  them  and  be  their  God.  And 
there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow 
nor  crying,  neither  shall  there  be  any  more 


292      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

pain,  for  the  former  things  are  passed 
away. 

"  Through  the  mystic  and  shining  gates  of 
death  another  loved  one  of  our  circle  here 
on  earth,  wife,  mother,  grandmother — 
sacred  and  blessed  names — has  passed  on  to 
greet  those  who  dwell  beyond  the  stars  and 
the  light  of  setting  suns.  One  less  at 
home ;  one  more  in  Heaven.  I  love  to 
think  of  these  dear  ones  as  forming  a  circle 
there.  I  think  of  them  also  as  ministering 
to  us  in  myriad  and  blessed  ways,  too 
blessed  and  divine  for  us  to  comprehend. 

"  Here,  amidst  all  that  is  beautiful  and 
prophetic  in  this  present  lovely  world,  we 
reverently  lay  to  rest  the  earthly  form  of 
her  whose  spirit  is  with  God. 

"  Nature  will  care  for  her  own.  God  will 
care  for  His  child,  more  tenderly  than  we 
could  do.  And  may  God  care  for  us,  make 
us  brave  and  true,  and  worthy  in  His  own 
time  to  pass  on  into  the  larger  life,  the 
holier  love,  the  sweeter  peace,  of  His 
immortal  realms.  Nothing  is  our  own 
except  our  dead.  They  are  ours  ;  and  hold 
in  faithful  keeping,  safe  forever,  all  they 
took  away." 


THE   SILENT   CITY.  293 

Her  grave  beside  that  of  dear  Ella  was 
covered  with  flowers,  and  together  with  the 
grave  of  our  dear  Marion,  are  tenderly 
cared  for,  decorated  with  flowers,  watered 
with  tears  of  love  and  affection  which 
the  grave  cannot  extinguish  "  until  the 
daybreak." 

"Day  after  day  we'll  think  what  they 

are  doing, 
In  that  bright  world  so  fair." 

My  narrative  must  now  draw  to  a  close. 
As  I  said  in  the  beginning,  it  would  be  a 
simple  commonplace  narrative,  nothing 
marvelous  or  out  of  the  beaten  track  of 
common  experience. 

If  it  shall  help  any  poor  boy  in  his 
commencement  of  life's  struggle,  or  any 
man  in  mature  life  surrounded  by  dis- 
couragements, which  are  inherent  and 
come  to  us  all  as  we  journey  through  life, 
it  will  have  served  its  purpose.  I  take  no 
credit  to  myself  for  any  success  I  may  have 
attained,  only  a  determination  to  always 
do  what  I  believed  to  be  just  and  honor- 
able. 

If  I  had  but  one  motto  to  leave  to  be  the 


294      RECOLLECTIONS   OF   A   LIFETIME. 

guide  of  any  young  man,  it  would  be  the 
Golden  Rule : 

"  Whatsoever  you  would  that  men  should 
do  unto  you,  do  you  even  so  unto  them." 

Although  I  do  not  feel  the  infirmities  of 
age,  as  many  do  who  have  attained  to 
ruy  years,  yet  I  know  in  all  human  proba- 
bility the  time  of  my  departure  is  not  far 
off. 

"  Beyond  the  smiling  and  the  weeping 

I  shall  be  soon  ; 

Beyond  the  waking  and  the  sleeping, 
Beyond  the  sowing  and  the  reaping, 

I  shall  be  soon  ; 
Love,  rest,  and  home — 
Sweet  hope  !     Lord,  tarry  not,  but  come." 


"If  I  should  die  to-night, 
My  friends  would  look  upon  my  quiet  face, 
Before  they  laid  it  in  its  resting  place, 
And   deem  that  death  had  left  it  almost 

fair, 
And  laying  snow  white  flowers  against  my 

hair, 

Would  smooth  it  down  with  tearful  tender- 
ness, 

And  fold  my  hands  with  lingering  caress, 
Poor  hands,  so  empty  and  so  cold  to-night ! 


295 

"  If  I  should  die  to-night, 
My  friends  would  call  to  mind  with  loving 

thought 
Some    kindly    deed    the    icy    hand    had 

wrought, 

Some  gentle  word  the  frozen  lips  had  said  : 
Errands  on  which  the  willing  feet  had  sped. 
The  memory  of  my  selfishness  and  pride, 
My  hasty  words,  would  all  be  put  aside, 
And  so,   I  should  be  loved  and  mourned 

to-night. 


UO  friends,  I  pray  to-night, 
Keep  not  your  kisses  for  my  dead,  cold 

brow  ; 

The  way  is  lonely,  let  me  feel  them  now. 
Think  gently  of  me  ;  I  am  travel  worn  ; 
My  faltering  feet  are  pierced  with  many  a 

thorn. 
Forgive,    O    hearts    estranged,    forgive,    I 

plead  ! 
When  dreamless  rest  is  mine,  I  shall  not 

need 
The  tenderness  for  which  I  long  to-night." 


m. 


